Turkish authorities intercepted at least 62 irregular migrants across the country on Wednesday.

Gendarmerie forces in southeastern Şanlıurfa province learned that a group of 10 Afghans was traveling on the highway connecting the province to Diyarbakır, which led to security forces apprehending the group.

Five Iranian irregular migrants were found in a vehicle that was stopped at a checkpoint in northwestern Tekirdağ province. The driver, identified as S.T., was arrested on alleged human trafficking.

In Muğla, 23 irregular migrants were found off the Marmaris district and held by coast guard units. Two men were arrested for reportedly smuggling migrants.

Also, the Turkish Coast Guard Command's mobile radar detected 24 irregular migrants traveling off the Bodrum district in Muğla. Units held the irregular migrants and took them ashore.

All of the migrants were referred to the provincial migration office following health assistance.

Earlier, 12 irregular migrants were found frozen to death in northwestern Edirne province bordering Greece. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the migrants were "pushed back" by Greek border forces and stripped of their clothes.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum-seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

In the face of a new potential migrant wave due to the instability in Afghanistan, Turkey has maximized measures on its eastern border. Turkey is continuing efforts to bolster the security of its border with Iran to prevent any new migrant wave in the face of the recent developments in Afghanistan. The beefed-up border measures in Turkey began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul.

Turkey is not the only country putting up barriers. Its neighbor Greece has just completed a 40-kilometer (24.85-mile) fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the European Union.

Authorities say there are 182,000 registered Afghan migrants in Turkey and up to an estimated 120,000 unregistered ones. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged European countries to take responsibility for any new influx, warning that Turkey had no intention of becoming "Europe's migrant storage unit."

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum-seekers attempting to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Concerns have risen over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan, due to the United States' pullout from the country and the following surge of Taliban attacks. Turkey has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of the migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third countries.

Turkey hosts nearly 4 million refugees – more than any country in the world. After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Turkey adopted an "open-door policy" for people fleeing the conflict, granting them "temporary protection" status. Afghans are believed to be the second-largest refugee community in Turkey after Syrians. Many of the migrants arriving via Iran are heading for Istanbul to find work or passage to another coastal city from which to embark for Europe.