A surge in irregular migration from Afghanistan amid withdrawal of the NATO forces from the country has reignited already high-running anti-refugee sentiment across Turkey, catching Ankara off guard as it still lacks a comprehensive and integrated border security mechanism.

As NATO and the United States ended their operational activity and mostly completed their troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, clashes between the Taliban and the Afghan government have immensely intensified amid the militant groups’ swift territorial gains. The clashes have spurred a fresh flow of refugees toward Turkey via Iran as hundreds of Afghans escaping security risks and economic instability are seeking to reach Europe with the hope of a better life.

News reports in early July that showed a fresh stream of irregular immigrants entering Turkey on foot have further fueled the already heightened anti-refugee sentiment in the country with hashtags against refugees repeatedly becoming a trending topic on Twitter, forcing officials to take action. Turkish authorities announced July 19 that security forces have detained nearly 1,500 migrants, most of them Afghans, since July 10 near the country’s southeastern border with Iran, as well as 11 people on suspicion of human trafficking. Six of the suspects were arrested pending trial, said the statement made by the local governor’s office in Turkey’s southeastern border province of Van. 

According to experts and observers, official figures have hardly reflected the actual gravity of the situation on the ground. An Afghan scholar of border security based in Turkey says the number of asylum seekers of Afghan origins entering Turkey via Iran in recent weeks stands between 1,000-1,200 on a daily basis. According to the academic, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, this figure could jump to more than 2,000 by August and September should the Taliban expand its advances in the country.