Over 9,000 migrants held in 2 months in southern Turkey

By Erdal Turkoglu

HATAY, Turkey

Over 9,000 migrants were held in the first two months of this year in Turkey’s southern Hatay province, according to information compiled by Anadolu Agency based on official military figures.

The migrants who crossed over into Turkey using illegal routes were detained in Hatay’s Yayladagi district between January and February.

Yayladagi has borders with Syria’s Idlib and Latakia provinces, where Turkish military units remain vigilant 24/7 with thermal cameras and armored vehicles.

While most of the migrants were Syrian refugees, there were also 800 Iraqis, 51 Indonesians, two Ukrainians, a Dutch, an Algerian, an Azerbaijani, a Tunisian and an Uzbekistani; there were also 17 Turks among those held by authorities.

Some of the migrants have been deported following security procedures.

Reporting by Erdal Turkoglu; Writing by Ahmet Furkan Mercan