Over 350 irregular migrants held in Turkey

By Ramazan Ercan and Muhammed Kaygin

CANKIRI/IZMIR, Turkey

At least 351 irregular migrants were held across Turkey, security sources said on Wednesday.

In central Cankiri province, 36 migrants were held by police forces during a regular road patrol. Migrants -- all Afghan nationals -- were transferred from eastern Van province.

Separately, the coast guards conducted multiple operations in the Aegean Izmir province’s Cesme and Dikili districts to prevent irregular migration.

The operations saw the arrest of 315 irregular migrants since Sep 23. Among them were Syrian, Afghan, Palestinian and Yemeni nationals.

All the migrants were referred to provincial migration offices.

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