Nearly 80 irregular migrants held across Turkey

KIRKLARELI, Turkey

A total of 76 irregular migrants were held across Turkey Wednesday, according to multiple security sources.

In the northwestern province of Kirklareli, gendarmerie forces detected six groups of migrants preparing to illegally cross the border, said a security source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

A total of 41 migrants comprising Iraqi, Afghan, Pakistani and Iranian nationals were caught in Luleburgaz and Demirkoy districts in Kirklareli, said a security source.

Police detained three suspects for alleged migrant smuggling.

In a separate operation, a group of 27 Congolese, three South African and five Syrian nationals in a rubber boat were held by the Turkish Coast Guard off Foca, Izmir, said a security source.

All of the migrants were later referred to provincial migration directorates.

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

Some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry.

They were mostly Afghan, Pakistani, Syrian and Iraqi nationals.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz