One of our Observers in Turkey was able to secretly record a conversation in which a human smuggler describes his work. In the recording, the man goes into detail about how he gets Syrians to Europe – detailing the dangers and the cost.

Turkey is one of the most important hubs on the route taken by Middle Easterners looking to reach Europe, particularly for Syrians. Since the start of the Syrian conflict, more than one million Syrian refugees have crossed into Turkey; it also hosts tens of thousands of Iraqis, Iranians and Afghans. Those who can afford it often try to leave Turkey for other European countries, where they are more likely to obtain asylum.

This has made Turkey a paradise for smugglers, or “human slingers” as they are called there. Ahmad is an Afghan human trafficker based in Ankara. Our Observer, who we are keeping anonymous for security reasons, secretly recorded this conversation, which was carried out in dari.

Initially published on France24 on 11/19/2014
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