Turkey has an outpost on a hill with an altitude of 3,055 on its 295-kilometer-long Iranian border! There are 27 military outposts in Çaldıran, 30 in Başkale, and 20 on the Iranian border of Özalp and Saray districts. Hundreds of soldiers patrol the borders every day and there are ditches with a width and depth of 5 meters along the border. Hundreds of armed UAVs are monitoring the border area from the air.

Turkey is currently building a new wall along its Iranian border. When the wall, praised by Van Governor M. Emin Bilmez two days ago, is completed, communication between Kurdish border villagers will be completely cut off.

7 people have been killed in the border region in last year and 124 people in the last 20 years for allegedly dealing with border trade. However, although it was revealed that these people were shepherds along the border, no action has been taken. Yet, thousands of Afghans enter Turkey easily from the border where 120 Kurdish citizens were killed for grazing their animals. The new wall is built not against Afghans but against Kurds.

'WALL AGAINST THE KURDS'

Interviewed by ANF about the issue, HDP lawmaker Muazzez Orhan said that the new wall is built to separate the Kurds.

“The border area is monitored day and night by Turkish drones. The action, however, is not against refugees who can indeed cross the border very easily. AKP deputy chairman Özhaseki said ‘the refugees keep our industry alive’. Turkey uses refugees as cheap labour. There is an exploitation in question,” Orhan said.

“Turkey is building the wall to separate the Kurds. There are Kurdish villages on both sides of the border, they have relatives. There is hatred towards Kurds. These policies will not function. They do not leave any living space to the Kurds. The Kurds are prevented from dealing with border trade. The refugees are used both as cheap labour and also as leverage against Europe.”