Over 200 undocumented migrants held in Turkey

By Mustafa Yildirim, Ahmet Bayram and Emine Ezgi Yesil

ANKARA, Turkey (AA) – Turkish security forces on Thursday apprehended at least 223 undocumented migrants and rescued 38 others, security officials said.

In western Izmir province’s Cesme district, Turkish Coast Guards held 61 people, including 57 Syrian, three Yemeni nationals and one from Somalia, said the source.

Women and children were among the detained as they attempted to illegally go to Greece via the Aegean Sea, the source added.

Another 25 Afghan, Ghanaian, and Eritrean nationals, who attempted to illegally reach the Greek island of Lesbos, were held in the Izmir province’s Dikili district.

Seven Syrian refugees were also apprehended by Coast Guards in Izmir province.

They also rescued 38 undocumented migrants in the Aegean Sea, off the Izmir province’s Seferihisar district, another security source said, adding that the migrants were heading for the Greek islands.

In the northwestern Canakkale province’s Ayvacik district, another 101 foreigners, including women and children, were held after having been located by drones, a gendarmerie source, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

The Syrian and Afghan nationals also intended to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, the source added.

Separately, border guards detained 24 Syrian refugees, including women and children, during controls in the southern Hatay province, another security source said.

Also, in the northwestern Edirne province, gendarmerie forces detained five Pakistani nationals during an anti-human trafficking operation, said a security official who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Two suspects were also arrested for alleged human trafficking, the source added.

*Mehmet Yavas from Canakkale, Erdal Turkoglu from Hatay, and Salih Baran from Edirne contributed to this story