Ankara - Turkish military police Saturday detained 88 foreigners found packed inside the back of a truck just outside Ankara, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Gendarmes, military police responsible for security in rural areas, discovered the would-be migrants during a routine traffic inspection in the district of Elmadag.

The refugees from Afghanistan and Pakistan were taken to a local sports hall and were expected to be expelled.

Turkey is a major transit country for refugees attempting to get into European Union member states.

Although thousands of refugees are detained and expelled from Turkey each year, many thousands more are believed to make their way through. (dpa)