Reuters: Türkiye's border wall with Syria to be completed in five months

A Turkish official says Turkey will complete construction of a concrete wall to stop illegal movement along its 900-kilometer border with Syria by the end of February 2017.

Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a Turkish official working in a government agency involved in the border wall project, who did not want to be identified.

Ankara has long been under pressure from its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, to prevent ISIS fighters from joining the group in Syria.

Türkiye is also concerned about the presence of Syrian Kurdish forces, including the militia known as the People's Protection Units, in northern Syria.

Construction of the border wall to prevent smuggling and illegal immigration began in early 2014. However, nearly three million Syrian refugees have entered the country due to Turkey's "open door" policy.

Source: Voice of America