Athens, Greece (AHN) – In a bid to stem a rising tide of illegal migrants from Turkey, the European Union will send border guards to Greece for the first time in the bloc’s history. EU officials confirm that Rapid Border Intervention Teams, which were established in 2007, will now be activated for the first time.

Most of the illegal migrants are believed to have come from Afghanistan. The European Commission’s announcement came after Greece sought help in the matter. European officials also acknowledged that the influx had reached alarming proportions.

EU’s border agency Frontex, claimed that the number if illegal migrants, who are keen on entering the bloc, have declined drastically. However, it admitted that the immigrants’ inflow from Greece’s land border with Turkey have increased six times especially the Afghans in the second quarter of this year.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstroem pointed out that illegal migration was particularly “dramatic” near the Greek town of Orestiada and added that the EU and Frontex would deploy troops on the Greek-Turkish border.

She further said that the EU teams would work under Greek authority and the mission would be of limited duration.

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