Turkey tightens border control with Iran to stop Afghan refugee influx

Turkey boosted security measures on its border with Iran to stop illegal crossings, mainly from Afghans fleeing the Taliban that has taken over key cities and provinces.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar on Saturday (August 14) visited the 295-kilometer long border with Iran where a modular concrete wall is being built.

Turkish officials said a 64-kilometer-long section of the wall will be completed by the end of this year.

Hundreds of Afghans have crossed into Turkey in recent weeks amid rising violence in Afghanistan, raising concerns of a fresh influx of migrants.

The explosion in fighting has raised fears of a refugee crisis and a rollback of gains in human rights, especially for women.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates 400,000 Afghans have fled their homes this year. Only a few hundred of these displaced persons are known to have fled Afghanistan but the UNHCR estimates there are 2.6 million Afghan refugees worldwide, with 1.4 million in Pakistan and 1 million in Iran.