Wall on Iran border almost complete, says defense minister

VAN

The construction of the modular wall on the Iranian border is nearly finished, the defense minister has said, informing that security on the bordering regions has been intensified through the use of technological means against the illegal entries of migrants.

“We are building a modular wall. A big part of it has been completed. Nearly 150 kilometers of trenches were dug. Additional reinforcements were made to our border outposts and base areas,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters on Aug. 15 after his on-site inspection on the border of Iran.

Akar was accompanied by Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, Land Forces Commander Gen. Musa Avsever and Second Army Commander Gen. Metin Gürak during his inspections over the weekend.

Turkey is building a 295-kilometer-long wall on the Iranian border in the face of a potential refugee influx from Afghanistan where the Taliban are overrunning the entire country following the withdrawal of the United States troops.

Akar said gendarmerie units and special operation units from the Police Department have also been deployed to the bordering areas in order to increase border security.

“We operate with around a thousand reconnaissance surveillance vehicles, including thermal night vision devices. Thanks to the electro-optical towers and acoustic sensors, it has be-come very easy to detect the mobility on the borderline,” the minister stated, adding that all the civilian and military personnel are doing their jobs with the understanding of “our border is our honor.”

“We will intensify our works, and we will reinforce the understanding that ‘our borders are impassable,’” he stated, denying the news suggesting that irregular Afghan migrants were entering Turkey in mass numbers.

Erdoğan addresses border guards

In the meantime, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the army’s border guards during Akar’s visit to Van on Aug. 15.

“We are passing through a very different period, on the one hand, flash floods, and on the other hand, forest fires. While all these endure, we are facing a difficulty based on rumors,” Erdoğan said, referring to the opposition’s claims that scores of irregular migrants were entering Turkey through the Iran border.

“We have to overcome all these because a terror of lies is blowing in Turkey. We will overcome them altogether. Especially, we will prevent all the entrances and exits with the wall we are building on our border, as this is our safety and security wall,” he stated.