Turkey Sends Special Police Team to Border for 'Preventing Pushbacks by Greece'

Minister Soylu observes the border area in Edirne. (Source and photo: AA)

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Turkey is deploying a thousand fully-equipped special police officers along the land border with Greece, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced today (March 5),

"We are bringing a fully-equipped special police team of 1,000 throughout the Meriç River to prevent push-backs," Süleyman Soylu said in Turkey's northwestern Edirne province, bordering Greece and Bulgaria.

Many refugees have been trying to cross into Greece through the Meriç River, which also forms the border between the two countries.

On February 28, Turkey announced it would no longer try to stop asylum seekers from reaching Europe.

Since then, thousands of asylum seekers have flocked to Edirne to make their way into Europe.

The decision was made after 34 soldiers lost their lives in an airstrike by Syria's army in Idlib, northwestern Syria on February 27.

Turkey hosts about 5.7 million refugees, according to a 2019 report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Interior Ministry states the number of registered Syrian refugees is 3.6 million.

Ankara has repeatedly complained that Europe has failed to keep its promises under the 2016 EU-Turkey deal to help refugees and stem further migrant waves. (EMK/VK)