Over 100 undocumented migrants held in Turkey

By Mehmet Yavas and Busra Nur Ozcan

CANAKKALE / VAN, Turkey (AA) - At least 130 undocumented migrants were held across Turkey, security sources said on Tuesday.

The sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said 45 migrants, including women and children, were rounded up off Ayvacik by local gendarmerie forces in the northwestern Canakkale province.

The migrants -- all Afghan nationals -- were illegally attempting to cross to Greece’s Lesbos island, the sources added.

In a separate operation, the coast guard stopped an inflatable boat carrying some 42 undocumented migrants off Ayvacik.

The migrants -- all Afghan nationals -- were planning to cross to Lesbos, said the sources.

Another 43 undocumented migrants -- including Afghan and Pakistani nationals -- were held in Baskale in the eastern Van province.

All the migrants were later referred to provincial migration authorities.

Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, the beginning of Syria's civil war.

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