Iraq to build a concrete wall along border with Syria

26 Jan 2022; MEMO: The Iraqi government yesterday decided to build a concrete security wall along the border with Syria, Anadolu reported.

"The government agreed to allocate money to the Interior Ministry to start building a concrete wall along the border with Syria," government spokesman, Hassan Nadhem, told reporters.

The government has made several decisions on maintaining security on the Iraq-Syria border, and will continue persecuting terrorist groups, he added.

No details were given regarding where exactly the wall will be placed.

In 2018, Iraq began the construction of a security fence along its border with Syria to stop Daesh militants from crossing into the country. The frontier included a six-metre-wide trench.

Last Thursday, Daesh militants attacked the Al-Ghuwayran Prison in the Syrian city of Hasakah, freeing nearly 25 militants.

Securing the borders with Syria is one of the biggest challenges facing Iraq, due to the length of the frontier, which exceeds 1,000 kilometres.

Over the past years, the Iraqi security forces have arrested hundreds of Daesh militants as they tried to infiltrate into Iraq.