ANKARA — Turkey is looking at a multi-billion dollar proposal
to erect a wall along the border with Iraq.
Turkey's military has been evaluating a project to build a wall
along the 500-kilometer border with Iraq. Officials said the project would
cost
$3.2 billion and consist of a concrete barrier meant to stop Kurdish
insurgency infiltration from Iraq.
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Officials said the plan was evaluated by a team headed by Chief of Staff
Gen. Yassar Buyukanit. They said the wall would be designed to prevent entry
by operatives from the Kurdish Workers Party, blamed for the current
insurgency war in Turkey, Middle East Newsline reported.
So far, the military has completed an examination of the Turkish border
with Iraq, much of which is located in a mountainous region snowed in during
the winter. Officials said Buyukanit ordered the examination as an option in
the war against the PKK, which led to the death of more than 100 Turkish
soldiers in 2006.
Officials said the proposed border wall would span more than 470
kilometers. They said the first half would consist of a mere concrete
barrier; the second would contain electronic sensors.
The military plans to determine the feasibility of the border project by
the end of 2007, officials said. At that point, a tender could be issued
that would be open to Turkish and foreign companies.
