Austria strengthens border control due to rising number of migrants

Austria announced it is to send four hundred additional military personnel to its land borders due to the increasing number of "illegal migrants" trying to enter the country. "We see that the number of people stopped at the Austrian border is increasing again", said the Federal Minister of the Interior, Karl Nehammer, on Saturday (24 July) at a press conference announcing the measure.

According to Nehammer, 15,768 people trying to enter Austria illegally have already been arrested this year. In 2020, the figure was 21,700. Two hundred people smugglers have also been arrested this year.

Most migrants come from Afghanistan. Nehammer said the escape route from Afghanistan "passes through ten safe countries" and that his country hosts one of the largest Afghan communities in Europe. "It cannot be that Austria and Germany solve the Afghanistan problem for the EU," said the minister.

The land border of Austria-Hungary is popular among migrants. For this reason, most additional military personnel will be deployed here, but the surveillance at the borders of Slovakia and the Czech Republic will also be strengthened.

There are currently 1,000 soldiers on security police duty at the border, 520 are on Corona pandemic duty, 134 are currently on disaster relief duty at home - there are 850 soldiers abroad.


source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo: Border Austria. SchengenVisaInfo.com
 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Mystery surrounds the crash of a Turkish airline in Georgia which resulted in the death of 20 Turkish Airforce personnel

Mystery surrounds the crash of a Turkish airline in Georgia which resulted in the death of 20 Turkish Airforce personnel

​ Twenty Turkish Airforce personnel died when a military plane crushed on the Georgian side of the Azerbaijan - Georgia border on Tuesday (11 November). The C130 took off from Ganja and was heading to Merzifon, transporting service members that had participated in Azerbaijan's Victory Day celebrations. Half an hour after takeoff, the aircraft lost altitude and broke apart in mid-air over a mountainous area on the Georgian border. Lockheed C130 Hercules have been in service with Turkey since the 1960s and are considered among the most reliable in their class. However, some of these aircraft are 50–60 years old. In October, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced plans to replace them with new C130J Super Hercules models, with deliveries expected to begin in the coming years. All aircraft fragments have already been collected for technical examination. The cause of the crash has not yet been officially determined. A Turkish expert and retired military officer Coşkun Başbuğ noted on CNN Türk, a technical malfunction "should be ruled out" as the cause of the crash. "Various possibilities should be considered, but the first thing to consider is that the C-130 is a time-tested military transport aircraft, the last known incident involving which occurred in 1982." "A technical malfunction should be ruled out as the cause of the crash. The same applies to weather conditions, as the relevant authorities would have reported bad weather. The remaining theories include a mid-air collision, sabotage, or an attack," he emphasized. Former Turkish Armed Forces Logistics Commander and retired Army General Erdoğan Karakuş stated in an interview with Turkish television that although the C-130 aircraft are old, they have undergone a complete modernization in Turkey, and their technical condition is thoroughly inspected before each flight. The Turkish Air Force is expected to operate the C-130 aircraft until 2040. ​

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Mystery surrounds the crash of a Turkish airline in Georgia which resulted in the death of 20 Turkish Airforce personnel

Mystery surrounds the crash of a Turkish airline in Georgia which resulted in the death of 20 Turkish Airforce personnel

​ Twenty Turkish Airforce personnel died when a military plane crushed on the Georgian side of the Azerbaijan - Georgia border on Tuesday (11 November). The C130 took off from Ganja and was heading to Merzifon, transporting service members that had participated in Azerbaijan's Victory Day celebrations. Half an hour after takeoff, the aircraft lost altitude and broke apart in mid-air over a mountainous area on the Georgian border. Lockheed C130 Hercules have been in service with Turkey since the 1960s and are considered among the most reliable in their class. However, some of these aircraft are 50–60 years old. In October, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced plans to replace them with new C130J Super Hercules models, with deliveries expected to begin in the coming years. All aircraft fragments have already been collected for technical examination. The cause of the crash has not yet been officially determined. A Turkish expert and retired military officer Coşkun Başbuğ noted on CNN Türk, a technical malfunction "should be ruled out" as the cause of the crash. "Various possibilities should be considered, but the first thing to consider is that the C-130 is a time-tested military transport aircraft, the last known incident involving which occurred in 1982." "A technical malfunction should be ruled out as the cause of the crash. The same applies to weather conditions, as the relevant authorities would have reported bad weather. The remaining theories include a mid-air collision, sabotage, or an attack," he emphasized. Former Turkish Armed Forces Logistics Commander and retired Army General Erdoğan Karakuş stated in an interview with Turkish television that although the C-130 aircraft are old, they have undergone a complete modernization in Turkey, and their technical condition is thoroughly inspected before each flight. The Turkish Air Force is expected to operate the C-130 aircraft until 2040. ​