80 undocumented migrants held across Turkey

By Zafer Taygur, Seyhan Kirici, and Bahri Asik

VAN/BALIKESIR/AYDIN, Turkey (AA) – A total of 80 undocumented migrants were held across Turkey, security sources said on Friday.

In the eastern Van province, gendarme units held 17 undocumented migrants from Afghanistan, said a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.

According to the governor's office of the northwestern Balikesir province, 25 Syrians who were trying to illegally cross into Greek Islands were held in the Edremit district.

Meanwhile, coast guards held 38 Syrian nationals who were trying to reach Greece illegally off the coast of the Aegean province of Aydin’s Didim district.

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