Over 369 migrants held in Turkey

EDIRNE, Turkey

More than 369 migrants have been rounded up during separate anti-trafficking operations in northwestern Edirne province on Wednesday, officials said.

In several districts of Edirne, the gendarmerie force held the migrants including nationals of Syria, Eritrea, Nepal, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, a security official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

The migrants were sent to the regional immigration department, the official added.

Also in Edirne, a suspect who was allegedly traficking 17 Afghan and Syrian migrants was arrested, according to security officials.

Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal last March, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Since then, the number of refugees caught crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece has fallen by 85 percent, according to the Turkish Coast Guard.

Reporting by Cihan Demirci; Writing by Kubra Chohan

EDIRNE, Turkey

More than 369 migrants have been rounded up during separate anti-trafficking operations in northwestern Edirne province on Wednesday, officials said.

The migrants were sent to the regional immigration department, the official added.

Also in Edirne, a suspect who was allegedly traficking 17 Afghan and Syrian migrants was arrested, according to security officials.

Since then, the number of refugees caught crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece has fallen by 85 percent, according to the Turkish Coast Guard.

Reporting by Cihan Demirci; Writing by Kubra Chohan