Over 100 irregular migrants held in Turkey

By Ibrahim Yaldiz and Mehmet Toktas

MUS/HATAY, Turkey (AA) – At least 134 irregular migrants were held across Turkey, security sources said on Friday.

The sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said 86 migrants were held in the eastern Mus province, the local governor's office said in a statement.

The migrants included 74 Afghans and 12 Pakistanis.

One suspect was also detained on charges of human smuggling, the statement said.

Separately, 48 Syrian nationals were rounded up in southern Hatay province while attempting to illegally cross into Turkey, according to provincial gendarmerie sources.

All the migrants were later referred to provincial migration authorities.

Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, the beginning of Syria's civil war.

Among 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.

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