216 irregular migrants held across Turkey

By Mehmet Calik, Kemal Ozdemir and Mesut Karaduman

ANKARA (AA) - At least 216 irregular migrants were held across Turkey on Thursday, according to multiple security sources.

In northwestern Tekirdag province, 122 migrants were held by gendarmerie forces, said the sources, who refused to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Also, 17 suspects were arrested, the sources said.

Separately, in eastern Erzincan province, security forces detained 72 migrants, comprising 68 Afghan and four Pakistani nationals.

Coast guard teams in the Aegean province of Aydin rounded up 22 Palestinian migrants stranded on a rubber boat.

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

Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria.

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

The migrants were mostly Afghan, Pakistani, Syrian and Iraqi nationals.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur