Moroccan army intercepts 1,100 migrants heading for Spain

The Moroccan Army has arrested more than 1,000 migrants along the country’s shores.

The migrants were arrested while heading to the Canary Islands and the exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which all belong to Spain.

A statement issued on Tuesday by the General Command of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said the move to stop the illegal immigration operations started last Thursday.

The border control units comprised the army, gendarme units, navy, and other security forces.

The statement said 1,110 people from different Arab countries, mainly Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Yemen were arrested in the operations.

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The Moroccan navy also intercepted two boats with more than 150 migrants on board near Dakhla in Western Sahara that were on their way to the Canary Islands.

The Moroccan army said that some migrants were also heading to Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish territories on the northern Moroccan coast.

The Canary Islands located off the North-West coast of Africa have seen a sharp increase in arrivals of boats carrying irregular migrants since the beginning of October.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), reported that more than 38,000 migrants from Africa have reached the islands this year.

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