Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, its neighbouring countries have started reinforcing their border fences to stop an influx of refugees and also terrorists who will try to infiltrate and conduct terror attacks on them.
Turkey, although it doesn’t share a border with Afghanistan, is building its second-longest border fence on its border with Iran to prevent any migration of people especially Afghans from Iran into its territory.
Turkey has already built a border fence on its border with Syria which is the third-longest border fence in the world after the Great Wall of China and the US-Mexico border fence.
This border fence proclaimed to be completed in 2018 was to keep out Islamic State fighters from entering the country.
The border fence with Iran was started in 2017 to prevent illegal migration and smuggling and was supposed to be completed in 2019.
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However, with the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the construction of the fence was accelerated and lengthened to 295 kilometres.
The fence will be built with massive modular concrete slabs and will also have electro-optical towers and acoustic sensors.
Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar confirming the lengthened border fence said, “We are building the fence to prevent refugees from Afghanistan from infiltrating Turkey. Most of the work has been completed. A trench has been constructed up to about 150 kilometres long near the border. Additionally, military camps in the border area have been strengthened. More security has been put in place to prevent Afghan refugees from entering the Turkish border. Day and night patrols too are being conducted at the border.”
“State-of-the-art sensors have been installed to prevent infiltration of illegal immigrants along the border. All our soldiers and civilians will carry out their work diligently. Afghan migrants are entering Turkey through Iran in large numbers. The huge wall and the trenches will prevent the arrival of illegal immigrants,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
A report stated that more than 1,000 Afghans, escaping the Taliban’s attacks before the takeover, were illegally entering Turkey from its eastern border every day.
There are currently 40 lakh refugees in Turkey which include 2,00,000 Syrians and 6,00,000 Afghan refugees.
Before the Taliban takeover, Turkey was considering taking over the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which was widely criticised.
Turkey already has 600 of its soldiers in Afghanistan to provide security at the Kabul airport.
Turkey has also reportedly declared that it is ready to support the Taliban if appealed by the extremist group.
