ISTANBUL---A Turkish soldier has gone missing during an anti-smuggling operation on the border with Syria, the army said on Monday, amid press reports he may have been kidnapped.
Ozgur Ors, a non-commissioned officer, went missing on Thursday after he crossed the border into Syria from the southeastern Turkish province of Kilis in an operation to capture a group of smugglers.
In a statement quoted by the Turkish media, the army confirmed Ors was missing but said there was still no news on the fate of the soldier.
"A thorough investigation is under way. But a cross-border operation has not taken place," it said, adding that the Turkish intelligence agency MIT was also joining the efforts.
There was speculation in the press Monday that the soldier might have been kidnapped by Islamic State (IS) militants who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria, or another militant group.
The army said there was "no information" that the soldier had been kidnapped by IS.
Islamic State in June seized 49 Turks, including diplomats and their children, from the Turkish consulate in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Those hostages were released in September after more than three months in captivity.
AFP
