SOFIA, Feb 1 — Bulgarian authorities said hundreds of Europeans have travelled to Bulgaria to cross into Turkey, with some then entering Syria to join the Islamic State, Bulgarian Interior Minister Veselin Vuchkov told AFP.
The most popular route that several thousand EU citizens have taken to join the Islamic State has been flying to Turkey and then crossing the border into Syria. But now that Turkish airports are tightening up controls, people are now trying to enter Turkey by taking buses from Bulgaria and making the relatively easy journey across the Bulgaria-Turkey border, according to a French anti-terrorism who spoke with AFP on condition of anonymity.
Bulgaria built a 33km fence last year, which runs through forested areas where visibility for the border patrol is limited. The country said it would extend the fence by a further 130km along its 240km border with Turkey.
More than 18,000 refugees have crossed the border from Turkey into Bulgaria in the past two years. Bulgarian government expects the added fencing would help stop a new influx of refugees in spring. — Reuters
