Cuneyt Celik and Ozgun Tiran
December 07, 2021•Update: December 07, 2021
KARS / KIRKLARELI, Turkey
At least 29 irregular migrants were held across Turkey on Tuesday, security sources said.
Twenty-four of the migrants, all Afghan nationals, were held in simultaneous operations conducted by police in different parts of the eastern Kars province, said a source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
They will be deported after necessary procedures, it said.
Meanwhile, provincial gendarmerie command teams in the northwestern Kirklareli province rounded up five irregular migrants, another source said.
The migrants included Iranian, Moroccan and Afghan nationals.
Three of the migrants held in the Tatlipinar village claimed they were beaten in Bulgaria and sent to Turkey.
The migrants were later referred to provincial migration offices.
Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
It already hosts over 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, and has enhanced security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.
