Migrants on a dinghy are rescued by “Save the Children” NGO crew from the ship Vos Hestia in the Mediterranean sea off Libya, on Saturday. Since 2014, more than 1.6 million people have arrived by sea, with 13,500 dying along the way. Photo: CFP

 
Turkish security forces held over 3,700 irregular migrants across Turkey over the past week, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported on Monday.

Turkish gendarmerie forces caught 1,475 illegal migrants in the northwestern Edirne province bordering Greece and Bulgaria. The spot sees intense attempts for illegal crossings.

The Turkish Coast Guard and gendarmerie forces rounded up over 1,500 migrants in the coastal provinces of Mugla, Canakkale, Izmir, Balikesir, Mersin, and Aydin while the migrants were trying to cross to Europe through Greece.

In the northwestern provinces of Kirklareli and Tekirdag, the Turkish gendarmerie forces held 303 migrants, said the report.

In 2018, some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey and this number reached nearly 337,000 in 2019, according to the Turkish Interior Ministry.