Turkey rescues 26 asylum seekers off west coast

By Halil Fidan

IZMIR Turkey (AA) – The Turkish Coast Guard rescued more than two dozen asylum seekers in two boats in the Aegean Sea, security sources said on Wednesday.

The Greek Coast Guard pushed two life rafts carrying 26 people back towards the coast of Aslan Burnu district in Turkey’s western Izmir province, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

All of the rescued asylum seekers were transferred to the provincial immigration authority.

Recent months have seen multiple reports of Greek forces illegally pushing back boats of asylum seekers, endangering the passengers in the process.

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

Turkey currently hosts over 3.7 million Syrians, making it the world's top refugee-hosting country.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut