22 irregular migrants held in Istanbul

By Ammar Nas

ISTANBUL

A total of 22 irregular migrants were held in Istanbul on Saturday, according to police sources.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the police received a tip off about foreign nationals traveling in a truck in Gaziosmanpasa district.

They searched the truck and found the migrants, all Pakistani nationals, and arrested the driver.

The migrants were attempting to cross into Europe.

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.