March 03, 2019•Update: March 03, 2019
By Esber Ayaydin
IZMIR/AYDIN, Turkey
At least 88 irregular migrants were held in Turkey's Aegean region, security sources said on Sunday.
A group of 22 Afghan, 17 Iraqi and five Syrian nationals in a rubber boat were held by gendarmerie forces off Cesme, Izmir, said a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
In a separate operation in the Aegean Aydin province, a group of 44 migrants in a rubber boat were held off the Menderes Delta by the Turkish Coast Guard.
All the migrants were later referred to provincial migration directorates.
Six people were also arrested on suspicion of human smuggling.
Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross to Europe, especially since 2011, when the Syrian civil war began.
Some 265,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry.
