Turkey fears influx of Afghan migrants, strengthens border with Iran

Turkey fears a wave of migrants from Afghanistan currently destabilized by the return of the Taliban (Illustrative image).

© BULENT KILIC / AFP

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2 min

With the acceleration of the withdrawal of American troops and the fighting with the Taliban, more and more Afghans are trying to flee their country.

Turkey is not a neighboring country of Afghanistan, but it is a stopover via Iranian territory, and more and more often, the destination of these Afghan exiles.

The authorities in Ankara are therefore strengthening their border with Iran in fear of an influx.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul,

Anne Andlauer

The Turkish authorities ensure that they have not recorded any particular increase in the number of crossings at their border with Iran ... 55,000 arrests since the start of the year, against 105,000 in 2020, according to the prefect of Van, the main province of Iran. entry of Afghan refugees.

But the fear of an influx is there and Turkey is strengthening its border.

Construction of a wall 295 kilometers long

A three meter high concrete wall is under construction.

Ultimately, it will be 295 kilometers long.

The wall will be lined with barbed wire and a large trench - 110 kilometers of which have already been dug - and lined with around a hundred observation towers.

The Minister of Defense has also announced the deployment of additional troops to try to limit the passages.

Turkey, which already hosts 4 million Syrians and hundreds of thousands of Afghans, also lets Europe know that it is not in a position to handle a new influx.

Turkey will neither be the border guard nor the refugee camp of the European Union,

” the Foreign Ministry said this week.

A warning in response to Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who considered that Turkey was one of the best placed to welcome Afghan refugees.

►Also read: Turkey-EU migration agreement: five years later, the reform desired by Erdogan remains blocked

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  • Turkey

  • International Migration

  • Immigration

  • Iran

  • Afghanistan