Gendarmerie arrest 710+ irregular migrants in north west Turkey

Turkish gendarmeries stand guard in front of the Silivri Penitentiaries Campus during the first trial of 29 defendant policemen, in Istanbul, Turkey on December 27, 2016. [İslam Yakut/Anadolu Agency]

Turkish gendarmerie forces held 713 irregular migrants in the northwestern Edirne province, bordering Greece, on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Among the migrants were the nationals of Nepal, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Morocco and Algeria.

The migrants were sent to the provincial migration office for legal procedures.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry, and over 336,000 have been held so far this year.

READ: Migrant boat sinks off eastern Turkey, 7 killed

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