Over 850 irregular migrants held in western Turkey

By Hakan Mehmet Sahin

EDIRNE, Turkey

At least 868 irregular migrants have been held in the western Turkish province of Edirne, security sources said on Thursday.

Gendarmerie teams rounded up the migrants during security patrols in various districts including Meric, Ipsala and Lalapasa, according to sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The sources said the migrants, who attempted to illegally cross to neighboring countries, were Pakistani, Somali, Bangladeshi, Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan and Palestinian nationals.

All of the migrants were referred to provincial migration directorate.

Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, when the Syrian civil war began.

Of the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan, totaling around 15,000, followed by around 12,000 Afghans and about 10,000 Syrians.

A 60 percent increase in migrant flow has been seen since 2016, when the number totaled to 31,000.