Turkey detains 1,080 illegal migrants

Istanbul: The Turkish police detained 1,080 illegal migrants in 11 simultaneous operations against human trafficking networks in its western coasts Friday, media reports said.

Police seized nine boats and three buses used to transport the migrants during the operations directed by Istanbul province Gendarmerie forces in coordination with the coast guard and the National Intelligence Organisation, Xinhua reported citing the Dogan News Agency. The operation were carried out in the Tekirdag and Kocaeli provinces bordering Istanbul, as well as the coastal Antalya, Mugla and Aydin provinces. The network was headed by an Iraqi citizen identified as M.A. It would organise the journey of undocumented migrants from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Greece, Bulgaria or Romania are the destinations of these migrants. Turkey is increasingly becoming a transit country for illegal migrants from the Middle East or west Asia seeking to enter Europe, especially since the civil war in Syria.