About 2,000 vehicles stolen in Turkey were sent to Syria during the past two years, with most of them being sold to jihadists fighting in the neighboring country, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
According to data from the Police Department and the Gendarmerie Command, the 2,000 vehicles stolen in 2013 and 2014 were smuggled to Syria with cloned license plates. Most of the vehicles were either pick-ups or panel vans which have been sold to fighter groups in the region, primarily the Islamic State (IS). Such vehicles have been used by fighter groups for carrying ammunition and fighters.
According to figures from the Public Security Department of the Police Department, about 63 vehicles are stolen every day in Turkey, mostly in Istanbul.
In 2014, 23,000 vehicles were stolen across Turkey.
The newest models of luxury vehicles are also often stolen and smuggled to northern Syria and Iraq, according to data obtained by the police.