Turkish security forces said Wednesday it detained 13 foreigners and a Turk seeking to cross the border into Syria to join the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group.

Turkish security forces said Wednesday it detained 13 foreigners and a Turk seeking to cross the border into Syria to join the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group.

The 14 suspects were caught on Monday afternoon in Oguzeli, south of the major city of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, according to a statement on the website of the General Staff, or military headquarters.

After questioning, it said, the foreigners were handed over to police to be deported while the Turk was released on the orders of a state prosecutor.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told in an interview last month that Turkey would do everything it could to stem the flow of foreign fighters, describing the Syrian conflict as a major national security threat.

Turkish authorities have banned some 8,000 foreigners from entering the country over the past year because of security concerns, and had further improved coordination with European intelligence agencies, he said.