MINSK. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Belarusian border guards have identified a group of Iraqi migrants forcibly expelled by Lithuania who show signs of violence, including dog bites, the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA said, citing the Belarusian State Border Committee on Wednesday.
"A border detail of the Lida Border Unit today identified a group of five citizens of Iraq right on the border, who had been forcibly expelled by the neighboring side to Belarus. The foreigners show signs of violence from firearms and marks from bites from working dogs," it said.
The foreigners were provided with first aid and then taken to the hospital, it said.
It was reported earlier that Lithuanian border guards on August 3 began forcing illegal migrants coming from Belarus to return, having been given authorization to do so by Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite.
A record number of more than 4,000 illegal migrants have entered Lithuania through the border with Belarus this year.
Lithuanian officials have described the growing influx of illegal migrants as "hybrid aggression by the Belarusian regime" and declared an emergency over the situation.