Over 280 undocumented migrants held in Turkey

By Hanife Erdinc,Salih Baran and Ozgun Tiran

CANAKKALE/EDIRNE/KIRKLARELI, Turkey (AA) - A total of 287 undocumented migrants were held in northwestern Turkey, security sources said Monday.

Border guards held 220 migrants in the northwestern Edirne province’s Meric district and in the villages of Bosnakoy and Orhaniye, according to a security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Among the migrants were Syrian, Pakistani, Libyan, Algerian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Moroccon, Iranian, Tunisian, Somali and Bangladeshi nationals.

In Canakkale province, gendarmes held a total of 23 Afghan migrants in the Ayvacik district while 30 Syrian, Afghani, Senegalese, Congolese and Iranian nationals -- including children and women -- were held a mile off the coast.

In Kirklareli, another northwestern province, 14 Pakistani nationals who were planning to illegally cross into Europe were held.

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

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