Turkey nabs 72 asylum seekers in Aegean, Med. seas

IZMIR / MERSIN, Turkey

The Turkish Coast Guard Command announced on Friday that 72 asylum seekers in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas were nabbed.

Acting on a tip, the Turkish Coast Guard in coordination with provincial gendarmerie forces and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), rounded up 51 asylum seekers on a yacht off the coast of Cesme district in western Izmir province.

Two Ukrainian human traffickers were detained in the operation.

In a separate operation, and also acting on a tip, a Turkish Coast Guard Command operation nabbed 21 asylum seekers on a boat off the coast of Mersin province in the Mediterranean Sea.

A Coast Guard boat from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) participated in that operation.

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

It hosts nearly 4 million refugees, including over 3.6 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.

IZMIR / MERSIN, Turkey

The Turkish Coast Guard Command announced on Friday that 72 asylum seekers in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas were nabbed.

Two Ukrainian human traffickers were detained in the operation.

In a separate operation, and also acting on a tip, a Turkish Coast Guard Command operation nabbed 21 asylum seekers on a boat off the coast of Mersin province in the Mediterranean Sea.

A Coast Guard boat from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) participated in that operation.

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

It hosts nearly 4 million refugees, including over 3.6 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.