REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE, ADDS MORE MIGRANTS HELD IN IZMIR
By Candogan Parlatan and Suat Salgin
IZMIR/BALIKESIR, Turkey (AA) - At least 114 irregular migrants have been held in two provinces of western Turkey, security sources said Thursday.
In Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir, gendarmerie teams rounded up 40 migrants trying to cross into Greece, including seven women and two children.
They comprised 22 Somalis, six Yemenis, four Central African Republic nationals, four Ugandans and four Senegalese.
Separately, in Izmir’s Cesme district, the Turkish Coast Guard held 43 irregular migrants, including nationals of Mali, Central African Republic, Congo and Palestine.
In Balikesir province, security forces held 31 irregular migrants who were trying to cross into Greece.
The migrants, all Afghan nationals, included eight women and 14 children.
A suspect accused of organizing the illegal crossing was arrested.
Turkey has been the main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, when the Syrian civil war began.