Poland to build fence on Belarus border to halt migrants

FILE PHOTO: Polish border patrol officers guard a group of migrants who attempted to cross the border between Belarus and Poland near the village of Usnarz Gorny, Poland August 18, 2021. Grzegorz Dabrowski/Agencja Gazeta/via REUTERS

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will build a fence along its border with Belarus, the defence minister said on Monday, to halt a flow of migrants the European Union says is being driven by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in retaliation for EU sanctions.

Poland and fellow EU states Lithuania and Latvia have reported sharp increases in migrants from countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan trying to cross their borders. The EU says Lukashenko is waging "hybrid warfare" with migrants to exert pressure on the bloc.