Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said up to 700 Turkish nationals have joined ISIL, sounding the alarm over the risk of attacks inside Turkey if the extremists return home.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said up to 700 Turkish nationals have joined ISIL, sounding the alarm over the risk of attacks inside Turkey if the extremists return home.

"There are around 500-700 Turkish citizens who have joined the ranks of ISIL," Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by Turkish media.

"A common concern about the foreign fighters is: What will happen when they return to their homeland? We have this concern too," he said as he returned from a trip to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) which is only recognized by Turkey.

He added that Turkey had barred entry to around 7,250 people from abroad who were planning to join ISIL and said 1,160 would-be terrorists were also deported.