Over 310 irregular migrants held in Turkiye's Aegean region

By Halil Sahin

IZMIR, Turkiye (AA) – A total of 313 irregular migrants were held in Turkiye’s Aegean province of Izmir, authorities said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, gendarmerie teams carried out an operation in Izmir’s Urla district to round up a group of irregular migrants, the provincial government said in a statement.

The migrants held were 115 Afghans, 112 Bangladeshis, 45 Somalis, 21 Syrians, 11 Eritreans, five Pakistanis, two Yemenis, one Palestinian, and one Iranian.

Two people accused of human smuggling have been arrested, the statement said.

Turkiye has been a key transit point for asylum seekers and irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Turkiye, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, is taking new security measures along its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.