UPDATES WITH MORE MIGRANTS HELD
By Zafer Tayfur, Salih Baran and Safak Yel
VAN, Turkey (AA) - More than 360 undocumented migrants have been held in Turkey, security sources said on Friday.
The total includes 33 Afghan nationals held in the Van province, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Among them were eight children.
In the Aegean province of Izmir, 13 Palestinian nationals were held in the Cesme district, while 59 Syrian nationals trying to cross into Greece were held in the Dikili district.
In the Didim district of the Aegean province of Aydin, 47 undocumented migrants were held along with six smugglers, including an Iraqi national.
Separately, in the northwestern Edirne province, border units held 211 undocumented migrants during patrols in the Bosnakoy, Ipsala, Kesan and Meric districts.
Among the migrants attempting illegal crossings were Moroccan, Eritrean, Syrian, Pakistani, and Afghan nationals.
Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, the start of the Syrian civil war.
Among migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan -- around 15,000 -- followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000.
The migrant flow has risen 60 percent since 2016, which saw 31,000 migrants.