Over 900 irregular migrants held in Turkey

By Cemal Asan and Ilkan Toprak 

VAN / BALIKESIR / KIRKLARELI, Turkey

A total of 944 irregular migrants, including women and children, were held across Turkey, security sources said on Monday. 

A total of 485 migrants were rounded up in the Gevas, Caldiran, Tusba and Saray districts of the eastern province of Van, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media. 

Separately, in the Ayvalik and Karasi districts of the northwestern Balikesir province, police rounded up 31 Afghan and Syrian nationals, including women and children. 

Additionally, security forces held 57 Pakistani and Afghan migrants in Demirkoy district of northwestern Kirklareli province, the sources said.

Later on Monday, sources said, security forces held 371 migrants in western Edirne. The migrants were from Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Algeria, the source added.

Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began. 

Of the migrants held in Turkey last year, the majority came from Pakistan -- around 15,000 -- followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000.

There has been a 60 percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016. 

*Cihan Demirci from Edirne contributed to this report.