Wall With Syria Soon to Be Complete, Turkey Says

Turkey’s wall on its Syria border will be complete in February, a Turkish official said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The wall spans all 560 miles (900km) of Turkey’s border with its war-torn neighbor, and aims to stem the flow of illegal crossings between the two countries.

Despite Turkey’s previous open-border policy for Syrian refugees, construction of the wall started two years ago to repel smugglers and prevent illegal migration. Turkey’s NATO allies have pushed for a sealed border with Syrian areas controlled by the so-called Islamic State.

Ankara is also concerned about its Kurdish neighbors in Syria, who control a good portion of the border. Last month, Turkey launched a military operation in Syria that targeted both Islamic State militants and the main Syrian Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

So far, 125 miles (200km) of the wall are complete, the official told Reuters. Construction of the wall is expected to cost around $672 million, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

The wall will reportedly be 10ft (3m) high and 6.5ft (2m) wide and topped with razor wire. There will also be adjacent watchtowers.

Continued Russian Airstrikes on Aleppo Will End Talks, U.S. Says

The U.S. threatened on Wednesday to end talks on Syria if Russia continues to bomb Aleppo, BBC News reported.

U.S. secretary of state John Kerry accused Russia of using incendiary and bunker bombs on the besieged opposition-held parts of the city in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

A U.S.- and Russia-brokered cease-fire in Syria fell apart last week – with Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, falling under intense Syrian government and Russian bombardment.

Evgeny Zagaynov, Russian deputy ambassador to the United Nations, criticized Kerry’s phone call.

“It’s become a sort of unfortunate tradition that the majority of strikes on civilian facilities in Syria, without checking it … is blamed on Damascus or Russia,” he said.

Russia is, however, sending its diplomats to Geneva to continue talks with the U.S. on Syria, and specifically on Aleppo.

“On orders of the Russian president, we are ready to continue joint work with our American partners on the Syrian issue,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Rebels Receive New Weapons From Foreign States, U.S. to Discuss Non-Diplomatic Options

Syrian rebels have received new surface-to-surface Grad rockets from foreign states to respond to the intense Russian and Syrian bombing campaign on Aleppo, Reuters reported.

Rebels did not have these kinds of rockets before, a commander told Reuters. With a range of 14 miles (22km) and 25 miles (40km), the two rocket types will be used in Aleppo as well as Hama province and in the coastal region.

No one has yet supplied rebels with the anti-aircraft missiles they have asked for, the commander said.

Opposition factions fighting the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have obtained military support from countries supporting the opposition through Turkey, via a U.S.-backed coordination center.

The U.S. has discussed options beyond diplomacy following the failure of the latest cease-fire, said U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday. Kirby did not detail what the options would be, but said Russia had an interest in stemming the violence in Syria as well, considering the threat of extremists who might attack Russian cities.

Recommended Reads:

• Bloomberg: Turkey Risks Kurdish War on Two Fronts as Army Advances in Syria
• The Wall Street Journal: Aleppo Airstrikes Continue as City’s Hospitals Reach Breaking Point
• The Los Angeles Times: Why the Fight for Aleppo Is a Turning Point in the Syrian War
• Synaps: The Syrian Trauma
• Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders: Jordan: Syrians Denied Access to Lifesaving Medical Care for Third Consecutive Month