Over 120 irregular migrants nabbed in Turkiye during operations on New Year's Eve

Immigrants, caught by the security forces in Van, Turkey on August 14, 2021 [Özkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency]

Some 121 irregular migrants were nabbed during the “Shield-6” operation on New Year’s Eve in Turkiye’s Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir provinces, Turkiye’s interior minister said on Monday, reports Anadolu Agency.

“We will not allow human traffickers who engage in human smuggling, aiming to make our country a target and transit route for irregular migration,” Ali Yerlikaya said on X.

Yerlikaya also mentioned that inspections were carried out by police, gendarmerie, and coast guard teams in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir using 59 Mobile Migration Points vehicles.

He stated that 5,179 individuals were checked at the migration points, and 121 irregular migrants were apprehended.

READ: Turkiye rescues 28 irregular migrants in Aegean Sea

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