Turkey boosts security at Iran border amid possible surge of Afghan migrants

Ankara, Jul 17 (EFE).- Turkey has boosted security on its border with Iran with 20,000 army troops ahead of a potential wave of migrants from Afghanistan, where the Taliban has made significant territorial gains following the withdrawal of US troops and the end of the Nato mission.

Citing “security sources”, the Hurriyet daily on Saturday reported on the deployment of Turkish troops to the eastern part of the Eurasian country.

After Syrians, Afghans are the second largest group of migrants in Turkey.

Afghan migrants arrive in Turkey through the mountainous border with Iran after paying around $1,500 per person to human traffickers who promise to take them from Afghanistan to Istanbul.

In the first six months of the year, some 51,000 people were intercepted trying to enter Turkey, the Turkish Interior Ministry said this week. EFE

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