Special to WorldTribune.com

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan has sought to seal its border with Syria.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has completed a barrier meant to block infiltration of Al Qaida from Syria. The barrier spans 17 kilometers and consists of a huge trench that blocks foreigners.

“This is part of Iraqi government strategy,” KRG spokesman Halkurd Ali said.

Iraq and Syria share a 600-kilometer border. The Kurdistan portion was closed on April 12, which sparked protests as well as long lines along the Syrian side of the border.

Officials said the barrier was established to stop the flow of Al Qaida militias from Syria. They cited the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, deemed the biggest threat to Iraq and responsible for the Sunni revolt in Anbar.

But Kurds outside of Iraq have asserted that the barrier was hurting those threatened by the civil war in Syria. They said KRG ordered the closure of the border to stop the takeover of parts of northern Syria by Kurds aligned with the regime of President Bashar Assad.

“Apart from those who put borders among Kurds, it is agonizing that
Kurds are erecting these borders,” Turkish parliamentarian Hasip Kaplan, a
Kurd, said. “We cannot accept this.”

The KRG closure has alarmed neighboring Turkey, which braced for an
offensive by the Kurdish Workers Party. Officials said Ankara, already
hosting nearly 1 million Syrians, has sought to
avoid the influx of Kurds.

On April 16, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan met KRG Prime
Minister Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara. Officials said the two men reviewed
energy and security concerns.

  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, KRG, Kurdish Workers Party, Kurdistan completes border trench to stop Al Qaida infiltration from Syria