Turkey Detains 13 Afghan Migrants in Van and Sakarya Crackdown

Turkish police detained 13 Afghan migrants in Van and Sakarya, arresting three suspected smugglers as authorities intensified nationwide operations against irregular migration.

Turkish police said they had detained 13 Afghan migrants in separate operations in the eastern city of Van and the northwestern province of Sakarya, as authorities intensified a nationwide crackdown on irregular migration.

Police in Van said seven Afghan migrants were found hidden inside a cargo vehicle during a routine inspection, while Sakarya police separately detained six undocumented Afghans during checks in the province.

In both cases, three individuals were arrested on charges of organising or facilitating illegal migrant smuggling and were referred to judicial authorities, police said.

Turkey has become a key transit route for Afghan migrants attempting to reach Europe, particularly due to its proximity to Greece and other European Union member states.

The Turkish migration authority has previously said more than 42,000 Afghan migrants were detained across the country over the past year, making Afghans the largest group of undocumented migrants apprehended in 2025.

The detained migrants were transferred to provincial removal centres after administrative procedures were completed, pending deportation, according to police statements.

Turkish authorities said operations to identify and detain undocumented migrants are continuing across all provinces, adding that enforcement efforts have recently been accelerated.

Turkey has stepped up border controls and internal policing under pressure from the European Union to curb irregular migration, with Afghan migrants among those most frequently deported back to Afghanistan.

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