Greek troops fire tear gas at migrants gathering again at Turkish border
Greek riot police and troops fired tear gas early on Wednesday at hundreds of migrants as they made another attempt to cross the border from Turkey into Greece.
The air was thick with smoke on both the Greek and Turkish sides of the Kastanies border crossing, and fire engines were also at hand to put out smoldering blazes on the ground.
Kastanies has been the scene of sometimes violent clashes between Greek security forces and migrants since last Friday, though tensions had eased on Tuesday as some of the migrants left the immediate area of the border crossing.
More than 10,000 migrants have been trying to breach the border since Turkey said last Thursday it would no longer abide by a 2016 deal with the European Union to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for billions of euros in aid.
Greece, backed by the EU, and Turkey have traded daily accusations about mistreatment of the migrants. Athens has reinforced security along the border, with troops and army jeeps patrolling the area.
[Reuters]
