By Anadolu Agency Staff
IZMIR / KIRKLARELI / HATAY / BODRUM / CANAKKALE, Turkiye (AA) – The Turkish Coast Guard on Wednesday rescued a total of 38 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea off the country’s southwestern coast.
Acting on tips, Turkish Coast Guard units found the migrants in three different life boats off the Bodrum coast.
They were pushed back by Greek forces into Turkish territorial waters, said coast guard sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Separately, a total of 67 irregular migrants were also held by Turkish security forces in various provinces of the country.
A group of 26 irregular migrants were found by coast guard units in an inflatable boat off the coast of Izmir in Aegean Turkiye.
Another group of 12 people of Moroccan origin who entered the country illegally were held by Turkish security forces in Kofcaz in the northwestern Kirklareli province.
Ten irregular migrants, including nine Syrians and an Afghan, were also found in a minibus on the southeastern Iskenderun-Adana road.
Stopped by Turkish gendarmerie teams, they were identified as having illegally entered the country.
Syrian traffickers were detained for allegedly smuggling migrants.
In a separate operation, Turkish Coast Guard units also found 19 irregular migrants of various nationalities in an inflatable boat drifting off the coast of Ayvacik in the northwestern Canakkale province.
All the irregular migrants were taken to provincial migration offices.
Turkiye has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
The Turkish government and human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
Turkiye already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.
* Writing and contribution by Merve Berker