Turkey arrests 300 illegal migrants

188 held in Aegean Izmir province, 25 in Kirklareli, near Bulgaria, and 112 others in southern Mersin province
IZMIR, Turkey: At least 325 undocumented migrants were held in Aegean, western, and southern Turkey on Saturday, according to security sources.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said gendarmerie forces and the coast guard detained 188 migrants in the Aegean Izmir province.
Five suspects, including two Syrians, were held for attempting to illegally cross into Greece.
In the Kirklareli province, bordering Bulgaria, gendarmerie forces detained 25 Pakistani nationals, the sources said.
The sources added that the migrants were attempting to illegally cross into Europe.
Separately, in the southern Mersin province, 112 Syrian refugees in a boat, including women and children, were held by coast guard units.
Eight suspects, including three Syrian nationals, were also arrested for human trafficking.
One of the Turkish detainees, identified by the initials T.K., is said to be wanted in five different countries.
The suspects were allegedly planning to take refugees to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea.
Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria in 2011.–AA

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