Turkey reinforces border to curb potential exodus of Afghans fleeing Taliban insurgency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Tuesday, asserted at a reporter that Turkey “does not, and will not, serve as any country’s waiting room.” Meanwhile, Erdogan’s communications director Fahrettin Altun made clear in an interview that Turkey “will continue to do everything in our power to preserve the safety of our borders.” 

“We came out of necessity. The Taliban have attacked our country, and now they control it, we hope that the Turkish government (accept us),” an Afghan fleeing the Taliban atrocities told Associated press on Tuesday, adding that he had endured thirst, hunger, and difficulties scaling a gigantic mountain in hopes to find safe refuge in Turkey. 

On August 17, Turkey dispatched soldiers to completely seal the border with Iran to curb the potential exodus of the undocumented Afghan immigrants escaping the Talibani government. Some of whom encountered agencies' correspondents informed that they had abandoned the Afghan military forces and fled as the Taliban’s offensive against US Army loyalists, translators and interpreters escalated. Earlier yesterday, harrowing reports emerged that the Taliban militants scrabbled door-to-door, seeking US military allies in Afghanistan. A credible source told broadcasters that the Taliban sought reprisal on those who worked alongside US military troops and fought against the Taliban regime shoulder to shoulder with Americans. 

[This satellite photo from Maxar Technologies shows swarms of people on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport, also known as Hamid Karzai International Airport. AP Photo/Maxar]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to step up the diplomatic and security efforts to squash the tsunami of Afghan national refugee influx into Turkey. To a journalist, the latter warned that the Taliban's victories in Afghanistan imply Afghan refugees fleeing to crossover his country's borders. “Turkey is facing a growing migration wave of Afghans transiting through Iran,” he said, adding that he spoke with close ally Pakistani President Arif Alvi. The two will continue to make efforts to restore stability in the region, especially Afghanistan, he told reporters in Ankara. Turkish officials, meanwhile, had earlier lambasted Iran for refugee spillover to the Turkish border. Ankara had also expressed will to hold a dialogue with Iran on the refugee crisis. 

[Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul]

Turkey erecting wall at border

As desperate Afghans embarked on the foot journey on the rugged border area in a long trek across Iran to enter Turkey, many of them were looted and plundered on the way. Thieves stripped Afghan nationals of their cash and mobile phones, refugees told Associated Press. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters that Turkey was under the burden of sustaining 4 million migrants — most of them Syrian refugees. As he expressed reluctance in accepting fleeing Afghans, Akar said that the border with Iran is was reinforced with military troops to curb the illegal infiltration, as he also added that a wall was being erected at the border, which was near complete. Turkey echoed anti-migration sentiment for Afghanistan’s citizens, citing unemployment and the Syrian civil war in the neighbourhood. 

[Pakistan and Taliban flags flutter on their respective sides while people walk through a security barrier to cross the border at a border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Chaman, Pakistan. AP Photo]

Image Credit: AP/Turkish military