Turkey builds concrete wall along Syria border after attacks

Turkey builds concrete wall along Syria border after attacks –

Al- Monitor – The Turkish military has started building a concrete wall along the border with Syria following a series of attacks, state media said Friday.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is building the three metre (10 feet) high wall in the Reyhanli district of Hatay province just across from the Syrian town of Atmeh, the official Anatolia news agency said.

The military is also digging ditches just behind the wall, which will stretch eight kilometres (five miles), Anatolia said.

Hatay is home to thousands of the roughly 1.8 million Syrian refugees who have fled to Turkey to escape the violence at home.

In May 2013 twin car bombs struck the town of Reyhanli, killing 52 people. Turkish authorities blamed Syria-linked groups but Damascus denied any involvement.

Turkey has angrily denied allegations it had failed to do enough to prevent Islamist militants crossing its border. But in recent months it has stepped up security, arresting hundreds of suspected jihadists.