More than 200 undocumented migrants held in east Turkey

By Fahrettin Gok and Yakup Bakar

ERZURUM/ERZINCAN, Turkey (AA) - At least 205 undocumented migrants were held in eastern Turkey on Wednesday, security sources said.

In eastern Erzurum province, 48 undocumented Afghan migrants were held on the Erzurum-Erzincan highway close to Aziziye district, an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media, said.

They were taken to a repatriation center in Askale district, the source added.

Separately, in eastern Erzincan province, 157 more undocumented migrants were held in two different operations.

On the Erzincan-Erzurum highway, 117 migrants, including 13 women and six children were held; among them were Afghans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.

The migrants were found walking in the Balaban Sarikaya and Karakaya villages as they headed towards Erzincan on the highway.

A bus driver who dropped off the migrants on the highway and the 117 undocumented migrants were remanded in custody.

In another operation, 40 undocumented migrants were held as they used the Eastern Express, a dedicated rail line between Turkey’s capital Ankara and the northeastern province of Kars.

During a control at the station in Mercan town of Erzincan, security forces became suspicious of the migrants, including two women and three children who had used false documents to buy the train tickets.

The migrants were brought to a sports complex to prepare them for their deportation.

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

Among migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan -- around 15,000 -- followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totalled about 10,000.

There has been a 60 percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016.