February 22, 2018•Update: February 22, 2018
By Hakan Mohammed Sahin, Sengul Oymak, Kagizman Ali Celik, Yusuf Sahbaz and Cuneyt Celik
KARS/EDIRNE/ARTVIN/KOCAELI, Turkey
At least 417 undocumented migrants were held across Turkey, security sources said Thursday.
In northeastern provinces of Kars and Artvin, 174 undocumented migrants, including 160 Afghan nationals, were held when they were trying to cross the border into Turkey, said a source who refused to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Locals in the area report to police when they notice any unusual movement of migrants, the source added.
The migrants included two women and five children.
Separately, coast guard units detained 50 undocumented migrants in the Aegean Sea who were trying to cross into Greece. Most of them were Syrians, said a security official in Izmir province.
In northwestern Edirne province, police rounded up 182 undocumented migrants trying to cross the border into Europe.
In northwestern Kocaeli province, 35 undocumented migrants were held for entering Turkey using illegal routes.
The migrants included Afghan, Iraqi, Palestinian, Moroccan, Pakistani, Syrian, Angolan, Somalian, Cameroonian and Togo nationals.
Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria.
