According to the police, the shooting took place in the middle of an operation where the border guards were preventing migrants from illegally crossing the Turkish border into Greece.
20.7. 23:20•Updated 0:12
A Greek border guard has been wounded by a bullet fired across the border with Turkey, the Greek police say.
A patrol of four border guards guarding the border between Greece and Turkey came under fire from “unidentified persons who were on the Turkish side of the border” near the town of Soufli in the afternoon. According to the police, three or four shots were fired.
According to the police statement, the shooting took place in the middle of an operation where the border guards were preventing migrants from illegally crossing the Turkish border.
The border guard wounded in the shooting has been taken to a hospital in the city of Didymoteicho. According to the police, the bullet had hit the guard in the stomach, but his life is not in danger.
The border between Greece and Turkey is a common route for illegal migrants to be smuggled into Greece. According to local media, the police speculated in their statement that the shooters were people smugglers.
According to Greece, in 2020 the Turkish administration had encouraged thousands of migrants to try to cross the border to Greece, which caused days of unrest at the border between the two countries.
Sources: AFP, AP