2 migrants killed in clash in Turkey’s Siirt

Two illegal migrants were killed and 10 others were injured in the southeastern province of Siirt during a clash between gendarmerie forces and human traffickers early today.

Acting on a tipoff, security forces tried to stop a truck carrying 84 migrants who arrived in Turkey via illegal routes from Afghanistan and Pakistan at a check point at around 1:30 a.m. in the Pervari district of Siirt.

"The driver of the truck did not stop despite warnings from security officers and opened fire on them," said a statement from the Siirt Governor's Office.

The gendarmerie patrol responded to fire, and in the ensuing exchange of fire two illegal migrants on the truck and 10 people were injured while others escaped, the statement added.

Those injured were transferred to a hospital in Siirt.

Security forces later captured the truck driver and launched an operation to apprehend the migrants who were on the run.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to seek better lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. The country is home to more than 4 million refugees, most of them from war-torn Syria.

On June 26, the Coast Guard rescued at least 59 irregular migrants in the northwestern province of Çanakkale and southwestern province of Muğla.

Separately, also on June 26, the Coast Guard detected a suspicious sailboat with 27 foreign nationals and two alleged human traffickers on board in the Ezine district of Çanakkale. The foreign nationals were taken to the local deportation center, while the human trafficking suspects were detained.

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