Over 300 illegal migrants held in Turkey

By Murat Arslan and Ismail Sen

AMASYA, Turkey

More than 300 illegal migrants were detained on Sunday in two separate police operations in northern and eastern Turkey, according to a police source.

In the Black Sea province of Amasya, police detained 206 illegal migrants from a bus which was stopped along the Amasya-Samsun road, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The migrants were Afghan, Pakistani, Iranian, Syrian, and Myanmar nationals, including 25 women and 18 children.

The migrants were headed to Istanbul from the eastern Agri province, the source added.

In another operation in the eastern Elazig province, police detained 97 illegal migrants at the bus terminal who were trying to reach Istanbul from Van, an eastern Turkish province.

The suspects were Pakistani and Afghan nationals, a police official said.