The Turkish Coast Guard on Tuesday rescued 10 asylum-seekers who had been pushed back by Greek coastal authorities into Turkish territorial waters off the Aegean coast, according to security sources.
The group was rescued from a boat off the coast of Bodrum in Muğla province, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The rescued people were later transferred to the provincial migration office.
Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants seeking to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Turkey already hosts over 3.5 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world, and says it cannot handle another wave.
So far this year, Turkey's Coast Guard Command has rescued hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers off the Aegean coast after they were forced by Greece into Turkish territorial waters.
Turkish officials have also said Greece's coast guard has attempted to sink boats carrying migrants and refugees toward Greek islands, opening fire and hitting people on board with long sticks.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) last week voiced alarm over reports of pushbacks and collective expulsions of migrants, some with incidents of violence, from Greece.
