By Necat Hazar, Mehmet Yavas and Ozgun Tiran
VAN/KIRKLARELI/CANAKKALE, Turkey (AA) – At least 366 irregular migrants have been held across Turkey, security sources said on Wednesday.
In Kofcaz and Demirkoy districts of northwestern Kirklareli province, gendarmerie forces held 26 irregular migrants.The migrants were from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Another gendarmerie unit in northwestern Canakkale province's Ayvacik district rounded up 41 Afghan nationals.
Separately, police held 299 irregular migrants in Ipekyolu district of province in eastern Turkey.
Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.
Among the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan — around 15,000 — followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000.
There has been a 60 percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016.
