(ONE TV): More than 350 Afghan asylum seekers have died near Turkish border during the last nine months, Afghanistan’s Consul General in Istanbul said calling the figure as shocking. Those who have reached their destination are also facing hardship and are seeking to return home, Zakaria Barekzai said. According to Barekzai, added that 30,000 Afghan asylum seekers in Turkey, who are seeking to return to their homeland due to hardships in the hosting country. More Afghans than Syrians have migrated to the European Union so far this year, official data shows, making them the largest nationality illegally entering the bloc. Syed Abdul Basit Ansari, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, said that they have spread awareness among the public over illegal immigration, but the campaigns in this regard have not been effective. Many of Afghans who migrated to Europe this year had been living in Iran. According to officials, they are leaving because the US policy has significantly deteriorated the economic situation in Iran. Iran’s economy has been squeezed since President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions last year to pressure Tehran to give up what Washington calls its pursuit of nuclear weapons.