Turkish coast guard intercepts scores of migrants in a single day

The Turkish coast guard intercepted dozens of migrants on a single day, including many children, the country’s Interior Ministry announced on Monday (August 12). 

Six separate operations were carried out throughout Sunday (August 11) in various locations at sea.

At 00:15 am local time, the Turkish guard said it responded to a small group of two irregular migrants and three children off the coast of Antalya’s Kas district who had called for help after their inflatable boat ran into trouble.

At 04:25 am, a Turkish coast guard boat on duty detected another inflatable boat off the coast of Mudla’s Bodrum district and “apprehended” the 24 migrants along with 16 children onboard, according to an official press release.

At 06:10 am, the coast guard intercepted another boat with 13 people and six children on board — also off the coast of Bodrum.

The Turkish coast guard said it rescued anoteher 27 irregular migrants and one child shortly thereafter at 06:35 am after their inflatable boat was seen drifting also off the coast of Bodrum due to an engine breakdown.

Just before midnight, at 11:50 pm, the Turkish coast guard said it apprehended 18 migrants along with 14 children after intercepting their inflatable boat in Balikesir’s Ayvalık district, further north in the Aegean Sea.

The coast guard command did not provide any further information about the migrants.

Turkey accuses Greece of illegal migrant pushbacks

That same day around 02:00 pm, the Turkish coast command claimed in a press release that a group of 21 adults and one child on a life boat off the coast of Mugla’s Fethiye district had been “pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek assets” in another incident.

Both Turkey and Greece have repeatedly accused each another of conducting illegal migrant pushbacks — either by sea or through their shared land border.

International human rights organizations have also consistently highlighted and criticized Turkey’s and Greece’s engagement in the unlawful practice of pushbacks, arguing that these actions violate humanitarian principles and international law by putting the lives of vulnerable migrants, including children, at risk while also denying them the universal right to lodge asylum claims.

The Aegean and Mediterranean Seas continue to serve as key migration routes for refugees and migrants attempting to reach Europe, in particular those fleeing war and persecution in major conflict zones like Syria and Afghanistan.