By Ufuk Ertop, Muzaffer Cagliyaner
KIRKLARERLI/OSMANIYE, Turkey (AA) – Dozens of irregular migrants were held in Turkey on Tuesday, security forces said.
As many as 55 asylum seekers were held in the northwestern Kirklareli province that borders Bulgaria, the local gendarmerie force said.
Among them were 31 Afghans, 18 Syrians and six Palestinians, who said they were battered in Bulgaria and sent back to Turkey.
They were sent to a deportation center after the completion of routine procedures.
Separately, 28 migrants were held in the southern Osmaniye province after a suspicious minibus was stopped by security personnel.
The foreign nationals, who entered Turkey via illegal means, were taken to a local migration office while the driver was fined 56,730 Turkish liras ($6,580).
Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Concerns over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan before the foreign troops' pullout have risen.
The Taliban have pressed a sweeping offensive across Afghanistan in recent months, now taking control of provincial capitals after running over smaller administrative districts.
Turkey, which already hosts 4 million refugees – more than any country in the world – is taking new security measures both within and on borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.
*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas in Ankara