Turkey Faces Dilemma as Afghan Refugees Start Arriving
Voice of America
ISTANBUL - With the Taliban continuing to make advances in Afghanistan, growing numbers of Afghan refugees are starting to arrive in Turkey. With Turkey already hosting millions of refugees, the government's refugee policy is facing growing scrutiny.
A video purportedly showing Afghan refugees found in the luggage compartment of a bus in Turkey is one of many postings flooding Turkish social media, showing Afghan refugees being smuggled in buses and trucks from neighboring Iran. Officials and observers believe the numbers of Afghan refugees entering Turkey are estimated at between 500 and two thousand daily – a relatively low number compared to the mass migrant movements that Turkey has seen in the past. But Huseyin Bagci of the Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara said Turkey’s government has growing concerns that the numbers could surge if the Taliban seize power in Afghanistan.FILE - In this photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, Chinese fishing boats are seen in neutral waters around Ganghwa island, South Korea, June 10, 2016. Chinese structures and buildings at the man-made island on Mischief Reef at the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea are seen on March 20, 2022.
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