ANKARA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry decided on Thursday to freeze the assets of some individuals and entities with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) group, according to the official Gazette of Republic of Türkiye.
The decision to freeze the assets of 17 people and four legal entities in Türkiye was "based on reasonable grounds that they have provided financing for terrorist organizations," said the gazette.
The Turkish government designated the IS a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a spate of deadly attacks in the country since 2015.
Türkiye's southern border with Syria has been a major crossing point for Syrians and foreign fighters since a civil war broke out in Syria in 2011.
In 2016, Türkiye launched its first cross-border operation in northern Syria, dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield, to eliminate the IS militants around the Jarablus and Azaz region.
