ANKARA (Anadolu) – Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu says that his country had blocked the entry of 1.25 million illegal immigrants over the past three years, Anadolu Agency reported. Speaking to Al Jazeera Mubasher, Soylu shared that Ankara had caught 400,000 Afghans since 2016, noting that 151,000 were returned to their country by air.
He stated that 80,000 received international protection and stayed in Turkey, another 20,000 obtained a residency permit, while the rest left the country illegally.