UK police defend actions in Islamic State bound missing girls case

British police are defending their actions as the search continues for three British teenage girls believed to have traveled to Turkey and to be heading to Syria to support extremists. [caption id=“attachment_2118839” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] This is a still taken from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police in London on Monday. AP[/caption] The case has generated wide attention. Turkish officials have complained that British officials waited three days before seeking help in the case, losing valuable time. But the Metropolitan Police said Tuesday they notified Turkish officials one day after the girls went missing last week. “Once we established that the girls had traveled to Turkey, police made contact with the foreign liaison officer at the Turkish Embassy in London on Wednesday, 18 February,” police said in a statement. The families of Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, have implored them to return home. AP