Turkey reinforces border to block any Afghan migrant wave

A migrant family from Afghanistan, caught by Turkish security forces after crossing illegally into Turkey from Iran, is pictured in a room at a migrant processing centre in the border city of Van, Turkey August 22, 2021. REUTERS/Murad Sezer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

VAN, Turkey (Reuters) - Afghans who manage to make the weeks-long journey through Iran on foot to the Turkish border face a three-metre high wall, ditches or barbed wire as Turkish authorities step up efforts to block any refugee influx into the country.

The beefed up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul last week.