Over 1,000 undocumented migrants held across Turkey

By Muhammed Boztepe

ANKARA

More than a 1,000 undocumented migrants were held across country Tuesday, according to Turkish military Wednesday.

In a statement, Turkish General Staff said a border unit of Land Forces Command rounded up 1,063 migrants when they attempted to illegally enter Turkey.

Out of the total, 1043 migrants were trying to illegally enter Turkey from Syria while another 19 attempted to cross into the country from Greece; another was held for making an attempt at the Turkey-Georgia border.

The statement also said 81 undocumented migrants were found attempting to cross into Greece through the Turkish border illegally; 15 others were held whey they tried to cross Syria through the Turkish border.

Also, 284 more undocumented migrants were held on separate operations across the country on Wednesday, security officials said.

In northwestern Edirne province, gendarmerie held 223 people -- including Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi, Moroccan, Algerian, Pakistani and Afghani-- when they attempted to travel abroad through Turkey.

Police detained two others when they failed to show their identity cards or passports.

In southern Mugla province, coast guard teams held 32 undocumented migrants when they stopped a boat carrying them illegally off the coast of Gumbet, a Bodrum district of Mugla.

Among the migrants were 8 Afghan, 24 Syria nationals, including women and children, and a Ukrainian.

In a separate police investigation, 13 Syrians were held when they were preparing to go abroad using illegal routes.

Also, 14 more Syrians were rounded up in southern Hatay province when border post teams made a search along the Syrian border.

*Cihan Demirci from Edirne, Osman Uras from Mugla and Erdal Turkoglu from Hatay contributed to this story.