Five refugees from Afghanistan found stabbed to death in Ankara

Photos: AA

Five people from Afghanistan have been found stabbed to death in an apartment in the Altındağ district of Ankara, the capital.

The police found the bodies in the address reported to them by the relatives of the deceased people, who said they could not reach them, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

The motives of the killings are not yet clear, according to a statement from the Governor's Office of Ankara. Prosecutors are investigating the incident to find the perpetrators, it said.

Habertürk TV reported that the people appeared to have died about a week ago, citing anonymous security sources.

Altındağ is a low-income district with a significant refugee population. Over the years, there have been sporadic attacks on refugees in the district.

Last year, the killing of an 18-year-old local in a knife fight with refugees was escalated into violent protests in the district where refugees' homes and workplaces were attacked, leaving many people injured. Dozens of people were detained following the attacks that lasted two days. 

Türkiye has the largest refugee population in the world with over four million, including 3.6 million refugees from Syria. Over 300,000 of the refugees are from Afghanistan, according to government figures from last year.

While migration from Afghanistan to Türkiye has been going on for over seven years, the issue drew more public attention after the Taliban's takeover of the country in August 2021.

People fleeing Afghanistan enter Türkiye mostly from its eastern border with Iran. (VK)