Turkish Troops Open Fire On Migrants Crossing From North Cyprus

NICOSIA, Aug 2 (AFP) - A wounded Sudanese migrant was picked up by police at a British base on Cyprus Monday after being fired on by Turkish troops while illegally crossing over from the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, a spokesman for the British military said.
The injured 27-year-old was detained along with a teenager from the Cameroon after Sunday night's shooting. A third illegal immigrant was still being sought by police on the British base around Dhekelia in the southeast of the island.
"They were found wandering along a road inside the bases area by an off-duty police officer," military spokesman Captain Peter Thacker told AFP.
"One of them was taken to Larnaca General Hospital for shot wounds to the leg."
Thacker said the migrants were fired on when passing Turkish sentry posts along the border between the British sovereign base and the breakaway north.
"Turkish forces confirmed that they did fire some warning shots but they haven't confirmed if they shot at some individuals," said Thacker.
"It seems they were challenged by two different Turkish patrols while crossing the border," he added.
Although the 17-year-old Cameroon man escaped unharmed, British police have not ruled out that a third migrant was also shot by Turkish troops.
"A third immigrant of African origin has not been located. He may have been shot or is still at large," the spokesman said.
Britain retained sovereignty over two large base areas on Cyprus under the 1960 agreements which gave the island independence and operates its own police force inside them.
Some 35,000 Turkish troops have been stationed in the island's northern third since invading in 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup in Nicosia seeking union with Greece.
The breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, which is recognized only by Ankara, is much poorer than the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south.
The British base around Dhekelia has an open border with government-held areas, making it an attractive route for migrants seeking to cross illegally to work from the adjacent north.