45 irregular migrants held in Turkey

By Sertac Bulur and Muzaffer Cagliyaner

ANKARA / OSMANIYE, Turkey (AA) - Turkish security forces on Thursday held 45 irregular migrants in different parts of the country, security sources said.

Acting on a tip-off, police in Ankara’s Golbasi district stopped two buses coming from the southeastern province of Siirt.

After checking their documents, the security forces arrested 15 Afghan and two Bangladeshi nationals and two human smugglers.

In a separate operation, 18 Afghans, two Bangladeshi nationals and three human smugglers were arrested from a bus coming from the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.

Meanwhile, in the southern province of Osmaniye, 10 irregular Afghan migrants were held by police.

All the migrants had entered Turkey from Iran through illegal means, the sources said.

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