By Zafer Tayfur
VAN, Turkey (AA) – A total of 118 migrants were held across Turkey on Friday, security and official sources said.
Security forces held 41 irregular migrants — including Afghan and Pakistani nationals — in the eastern Van province.
In the Dikili district of the western Izmir province, coastal guard units identified a dinghy carrying 32 migrants from various countries.
Moreover, 25 Afghan nationals, including women and children, were rounded up in the central Sivas province.
Some 20 migrants — all Afghan and Pakistani nationals — were also held in northwestern Artvin province.
Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross to Europe, especially since 2011, the beginning of Syria's civil war.
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.
