Iraq unveils plans for security of borders with Türkiye, Iran
BAGHDAD
The Iraqi Interior Ministry has announced the implementation of a comprehensive eight-phase plan to enhance the security of its borders with Türkiye and Iran.
Speaking to the state-run Iraqi news agency INA, senior official Mohammed al-Saeedi elucidated that Iraq has delineated specific strategies and methods comprising two phases with Türkiye and six phases with Iran to bolster border security.
Saeedi highlighted that the most extensive border stretches 1,493 kilometers with Iran, adding that they have commenced securing the 300-kilometer stretch between the Khanaqin district and the Penjwin sub-district in an optimal manner.
He disclosed that this region has harbored proscribed armed elements, specifically the PKK terrorist organization, since the 1980s, adding that efforts are underway to diminish the influence of these groups. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, the U.S. and the EU.
Recent high-level meetings involving foreign and defense ministers, alongside intelligence chiefs from Türkiye and Iraq, culminated in the designation of the PKK as a banned entity within Iraqi borders.
Saeedi remarked that Iraq's 362-kilometer border with Türkiye is arduous mountainous, and largely covered in snow for nearly half the year.
He underscored the historical absence of border posts between Iraq and Türkiye, which has facilitated the presence of terror threats in the region.
"We have initiated a bilateral effort with Türkiye. The first phase involves the establishment of a joint coordination center between the two nations to ensure border security. The second phase entails the construction of border posts along the frontier."
Saeedi revealed that orders have been issued to construct approximately 27 border posts along the border lines of Iraq’s Duhok and Erbil provinces with Türkiye, emphasizing the significance of these developments for both countries.
He underscored the strenuous efforts being made to ensure that no elements posing a threat to Türkiye are present within the Iraqi border.