05 December 2017•Update: 05 December 2017
By Salih Baran
ISTANBUL
At least 626 undocumented migrants were held on Tuesday during anti-human trafficking operations across Turkey, according to security sources.
In northwestern Edirne province, security forces held 581 migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Myanmar, Algeria, India and Bangladesh.
They were reportedly trying to reach Europe using illegal routes, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restriction on speaking to the media.
In another operation in northwestern Canakkale province's Ayvacik district, 32 foreigners, including Afghan and Iranian nationals, were held when they attempted to reach Greek islands, another security source said.
Also in southern Gaziantep province, security forces stopped a minivan carrying 13 Syrians, who had illegally arrived in Turkey. Two Syrians were remanded by a local court for human trafficking charges.
All of the held migrants were sent to regional immigration departments.
So far, hundreds of thousands of people have made a short but perilous journeys across the Aegean to reach northern and western Europe.
Nearly 2,000 refugees cross into Greek islands every month, according to UNHCR data.
Hundreds of people have died at sea as a number of boats carrying refugees sank. The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued thousands.
