Turkey: Nearly 3,000 irregular migrants held last week

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) – Almost 3,000 irregular migrants were held across Turkey over the past week, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from security sources.

Turkish gendarmerie forces held some 1,500 of the migrants in the northwestern province of Edirne, which borders Greece and Bulgaria.

According to local sources in Edirne, Greece has stepped up efforts to send irregular migrants to Turkey in violation of the Geneva Conventions, European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention Against Torture.

In the western cities of Mugla, Canakkale, Izmir, Aydin, and Balikesir, the Turkish Coast Guard and gendarmerie forces rounded up over 1,200 migrants.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

In the Aegean province of Denizli, gendarmerie forces rounded up 65 migrants.

Separately, in the northwestern provinces of Kirklareli and Tekirdag, some 130 migrants were held by gendarmerie forces.

Moreover, personnel for border security and provincial gendarmerie in the southern Hatay province arrested more than 80 migrants trying to enter Turkey from Syria illegally.

Among the migrants were the nationals of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Palestine, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Somalia, Senegal, Burundi, and South Africa.

All of the migrants were either taken to hospitals for medical treatment or transferred to provincial migration offices.

In 2018, 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry.