Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkey is providing vocational trainings for illegal Afghan immigrants hosted in the immigration removal centers in the country following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Turkish media reported on August 23.

Along with the healthcare services and food, the immigrants are provided with vocational trainings to ensure that they become employed upon their return to Afghanistan, the report said.

An immigration removal center in Van that is hosting 750 Afghan immigrants, has been provided with a psychosocial support center, a gym and children's playgrounds. Turkish language courses and handicraft courses are also given to immigrants in this center.

Irregular migrants caught by the security forces on the Iranian border and in the city center of Van are first brought to the Van Provincial Police Department. Action is taken against those who are found to have a terrorist connection or to be involved in a crime.

Immigrants are hosted up to a year at the removal centers. After the contact with the relevant country consulates, the immigrants are sent back to their countries. Currently, 7,500 Afghan migrants are expected to be sent once the Kabul Airport restores its routine operation.

“It took us two months to arrive in Turkey, passing through forests and mountainous areas. We fled Afghanistan because our safety was in danger. We came here because Turkey is a Muslim country and is safe. We had no intention of going to Europe. Passing through Iran was very difficult. We met thieves on the way, they stole our money”, said Afghan immigrant Benevshe Mirzai who fled Taliban persecution with her family members.

“From 2014 to 2016, I worked as a driver for Americans and Turks in Afghanistan. I was on the Taliban's black list so I had to flee,” said another Afghan refugee Fehim Mousavi.

It should be noted that the Taliban armed group retook power in Afghanistan 20 years after it was toppled by the US. The collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government in Kabul came in the wake of Taliban blitzkrieg that began on August 6 and led to the capture of more than two dozen Afghan provinces by the morning of August 15.

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