Turkey to build wall on Syria border, report says

Turkey will construct a 2.5-kilometer long wall across a border gate with Syria to prevent ‘illegal crossings into the country,’ a report says.

The Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Wednesday that Turkish Trade and Customs Minister Hayati Yazici had announced that the wall would be built along the Cilvegozu gate with Syria in Turkey’s southern province of Hatay.

The minister added that a protocol had already been signed with the Turkish Armed Forces on the construction of the wall.

“According to the protocol, we have defined a project that aims to increase the security of the military zone by building a part barbed wire, part concrete wall with security camera system,” Yazici stated.

The Turkish minister said Ankara would also expand the use of X-ray control devices in the border area.

“These devices scan cars while they cross the border. We sent them to Cilvegozu and we are working to increase their number.”

The Cilvegozu gate is located about ten kilometers from the central part of the Turkish town of Reyhanli, where two car bomb attacks claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 100 people on May 11.

Yazici said Ankara had closed the Yayladagi border gate with Syria after the Reyhanli bombings to prevent suspects from fleeing. The Yayladagi gate is situated some 90 kilometers from Reyhanli.

Ankara has accused Damascus of being behind the bombings, but the Syrian government holds Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responsible for the attacks.

Syria says Turkey has facilitated the flow of arms, explosives, vehicles, militants and money into the country over the past months of turmoil.