Over 130 undocumented migrants held across Turkey

By Ahmet Bayram and Lale Koklu

IZMIR/HATAY, Turkey (AA) - At least 134 undocumented migrants, including women and children, were held during anti-human trafficking operations across Turkey, officials said Saturday.

The coastguard found 108 migrants in Izmir province’s Foca district. The migrants, who were reportedly trying to cross from Turkey into Greece, were taken to the regional immigration department.

In southern Hatay province, 26 Syrian migrants who had reportedly crossed into Turkey were held.

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

Among the migrants held in the course of 2017, most came from Pakistan -- around 15,000 -- followed by around 12,000 Afghans. The number of Syrian migrants totaled around 10,000.

There has been a 60 percent increase in the flow of migrants since 2016, when the number totaled 31,000.