The wall and towers extend from the province of Van, which shares the largest border with neighboring Iran, into Hakkari province, according to the agency, with 130 kilometers of trenches being dug up and a 7-kilometre wall being completed thus far.

Turkey is boosting security along its border with Iran to prevent a migrant influx following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The country, already home some 4 million refugees, began bolstering security measures last month as the Islamist group advanced towards Kabul, threatening a new migrant crisis.

Reinforcements were sent to the border after the developments in Afghanistan, Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez told the agency, noting that three contractor companies were at work for safer measures at the border.

“One hundred and three electro-optical towers were built along the border. There are thermal cameras, sensors and radars ... There are systems that detect the direction of the shot. We also make the most of drones. Our security forces work at the border 24/7 in coordination, using all technological data,’’ Bilmez said.

Another 750 police special operations, 35 teams and 50 armored vehicles are working on the borderline, he added.

More than 500,000 asylum seekers, a significant portion of them Afghans, entered Turkey illegally via the border in Van province alone in 2020, Hurriyet newspaper reported, citing official figures.

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