Turkey To Fly Zeppelins Along Syrian Border To Counter IS Threat

Turkey plans to beef up border security by flying zeppelins and building two-fence border system as part of an ‘integrated system’ plan to secure ‘critical parts of border’ to counter ISIL threat.

Turkey will be beefing up security along the Syrian borders to block Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists’ transit points after the international community accused the nation of not doing its best to stop the flow of foreign fighters from Turkey to its neighbors.

“What is important in the face of Daesh (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - ISIL) is to block the terrorists’ transit points and to have physical obstacles to this. A physical security system will be established at the border,” Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç was quoted as saying by Hurriyet news daily during a break from a cabinet meeting attended by the commander of Turkey’s ground forces on July 22.

Arınç said they discussed implementing an “integrated system” to secure “critical parts of the border” with war-torn Syria to counter the threat of ISIL, adding those measures would not include building walls between the people of two countries.

“According to the new plan to beef up border security, Turkey plans to fly zeppelins over the border area. Compared to drones, zeppelins bring about several advantages for border surveillance. They are able to stay stationary in the air and at higher altitudes, thereby covering a greater area. Turkey is expected to buy the zeppelins from the US,” Hurriyet daily quoted unnamed officials as saying.

“A two-fenced border system that includes roads passing through two-section wire-mesh fences with observatory towers will be built,” the officials added.

The amplified wire-mesh fence system will be located in risky regions of the border area, which have been subject to high illegal passage.

Turkey also assigned 90 percent of its drones, along with 50 percent of its armored cars, to the border area with Syria.