Afghans in Van on hardships; many dead unidentified скачать в хорошем качестве

Afghans in Van on hardships; many dead unidentified

(24 Aug 2021) Plain gravestones with numbers and the word "Afghan" are all that marks the final resting place for the hundreds who have tried to cross Turkey's eastern borders with Iran. Afghan migrants escaping their country in search of a better life, away from the conflicts and poverty, have to risk their lives crossing treacherous terrains, endure extreme weather conditions and survive the unusual modes of transportation like being jam-packed into trucks and boats to evade authorities. Thousands of migrants, mostly Afghans but some from other countries in the region like Pakistan and Bangladesh, cross the eastern borders of Turkey through extremely dangerous routes in high mountains and vast arid lands with the aim of reaching the west. And dozens die each year in the attempt. The biggest adversary the traveling migrants face is the weather - winter conditions in the area, if unprepared, can quickly kill. According to Turkish media, as the ice and snow in the region started to melt this spring, bodies of migrants that died around the border area also started to appear. Migrants are also face to face with other dangers prevalent in the route like hunger, thirst and robbers who threaten or kill migrants if they don't give up their possessions on the spot, according to a migrant who passed the border on August 18. Some die unidentified, only leaving behind graves with numbers corresponding with their forensic files, and denotations of which country they may be from or other identifying factors. The Highlands of the Van province, on Turkey's eastern borders to Iran, is a vast and mountainous region in Turkey with extremely cold temperatures in winter, reaching up to -26.9 Celsius (-16.42 Fahrenheit) in some locations. Murad Majidi, 17-year-old migrant from northern Afghanistan's Jawzjan province fell in a ditch and broke his leg when trying to evade gunfire from the Iranian police at the border. His migrant companions left him behind and Majid was sent to a deportation center by Turkish authorities to be registered and treated. "I was going to experience the fate of those that died in traffic accidents, frozen or died in other incidents", said Majidi, looking back at that day. Mustafa Aydin, another migrant in the deportation facility, speaking in fluent Turkish, told The Associated Press that crossing the border is "not worth it", but people are obliged to cross because of lack of opportunities and support for others left back at home Not all Afghans are compelled to take on the arduous journey from Afghanistan to Turkey because of unemployment and poverty. Halima Mohammadi, a 20-year-old migrant ran from her home as she faced abuse from other members of her family and Taliban's persecution of women was felt more and more each passing day in the area she was living in. "They were not counting women as humans" said Mohammadi, adding women are often harassed if they were seen alone in the streets. This particular region of eastern Turkey has seen high amounts of deaths in the past due to accidents. At least 12 were killed and 20 injured after a minibus carrying migrants at Van province crashed in July. Officials from the governor's office told the Associated Press that those who were unidentified from the crash were interred in the cemetery for the unidentified. Footage showed graves marked "10.07.2021", the date of the crash. In July 2020, a boat carrying 60 migrants sank at Lake Van during stormy weather. The Governor of Van said that during the passage of migrants, from "time to time" people freeze to death, drown and die in traffic accidents. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...