Over 140 undocumented migrants held in western Turkey

By Cihan Demirci

EDIRNE,Turkey

At least 148 undocumented migrants have been held in northwestern Edirne province, according to a security source Thursday.

The migrants -- among them Syrians, Libyans, Afghans, Algerians and Moroccans -- were attempting to cross into Greece using an illegal route, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

All the migrants were later referred to the provincial migration authorities.

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

Among the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, 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.