Over 170 undocumented migrants held in Turkey

By Esber Ayaydin and Mehmet Yavas

IZMIR/CANAKKALE, Turkey (AA) - Over 170 undocumented migrants have been held by security forces in the Aegean and northwestern provinces of Turkey, according to security sources on Tuesday.

In the Aegean province of Izmir, Coast Guard teams detained over the weekend a total of 152 undocumented migrants who were trying to travel illegally to Greece from the Dikili district of the province by three inflatable boats, a Coast Guard official said.

The migrants, including 113 Syrians, 38 Afghans and a Somali national, were referred to the migration management authorities, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions over speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, in the northwestern province of Canakkale, 21 undocumented Pakistani migrants were held Tuesday by gendarmes as they were trying to illegally reach the Greek island of Lesbos from the Ayvacik district, a gendarme source said.

The migrants were sent to the local Repatriation Center, said the same source, adding that five people were arrested over suspicion of organizing the illegal trip.

So far, hundreds of thousands of people have made the short but perilous journey across the Aegean to reach northern and western Europe. Nearly 2,000 refugees per month cross into Greek islands, according to UNHCR refugee agency data.

In March 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of some 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.