137 irregular migrants held in Turkey

At least 85 irregular migrants were held by security forces across Turkey on Saturday, reports Anadolu Agency.

Gendarmerie forces carried out an operation in the town of Reyhanli in the southern Hatay province after getting a tip about migrants.

Forty-three irregular migrants who had entered the country illegally were held, and a person suspected of human smuggling was arrested and remanded in custody.

18 million Afghans, half the country, need humanitarian assistance and roughly 3 million are internally displaced – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

Separately, police held 42 irregular migrants found in a barn in the town of Ipekyolu in the eastern province of Van.

While the migrants were taken to the local migration office after health checks, legal action was launched against the barn owners and the suspected organisers of human smuggling.

In the eastern province of Erzincan, as many as 52 irregular migrants living in an abandoned house were held by the police.

Anti-smuggling teams had been surveilling the house to see if irregular migrants were being mistreated by a smuggler.

An Afghan national who allegedly organised illegal border crossings was arrested by the police.

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Irregular migrants trying to flee were held and taken to the police department.

Security sources said the migrants would be transferred to the local migration office after routine procedures.

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

Turkey, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, is taking new security measures on its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.