The announced purpose behind the move is security protection as the Turkish government looks at the region with unease because of its control by the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Kobani canton is the central of four cantons of de facto autonomous Federation of North Syria – Rojava. Although officially remaining part of Aleppo Governorate, Kobanî Canton was declared autonomous in January 2014, and since then has been administered by the interim government of the Kurdish Supreme Committee.
In his interview with Sputnik Turkiye the canton’s Defense Minister İsmet Şeyh Hesen said that the residents of the canton have been protesting agaisnt the construction of the barrier for more than a week.
Last weekend there have been severe clashes between the protesters and the Turkish police.
The Defense Minister said that Turkish security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters killing at least one person and injuring 42 others.
“We are protesting against invasive actions of Turkey which has started the construction of a wall on our territory,” he told Sputnik.
“Kobani residents have been protesting for over a week by putting up tents to the west of Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border,” he added.
“The Turkish police are trying to disperse the protesters by using tear gas and water cannons, injuring dozens of people, who are now undergoing treatment in a hospital,” the politician added.
Earlier they have already put a 150-meter barrier segment on the border with Kobani.
The Defense Minister said that the residents of the canton are protesting against this move because it is a clear violation of the border.
“The Kobani residents won’t allow any encroachment on the territories which belong to them,” he said.
At the end of August, ARA News agency, which reports on local developments across Rojava, Kurdistan Region, Syria, Iraq and Turkey said that the Rojava Self-Administration issued a statement condemning the Turkish barrier wall project, and called on the international community to take action and stop the Turkish violations on the border with Syria.
“The Self-Administration in the Kobane canton condemns this aggression by the Turkish state against the people of our region. We appeal to the international community to break its silence and put pressure on the Turkish government to stop those violations,” it quoted the statement as saying.
Some activists then told the agency that the Turkish move comes in a bid to cut off communication between Kurds on both sides of the border.
“Our protest is aimed to deliver a message of condemnation to the Turkish government for this clear violation. This racist barrier wall is meant to hit the Kurdish people and separate them from each other in northern and western Kurdistan,” protester Muhammad Ahmed told ARA News.
“Turkey has been training and funding ISIS (Daesh) terrorists for years, and after its agenda has failed it started to invade our region with tanks and warplanes,” it quotes Director of the Kobani Health Commission, Hikmat Ahmed, as saying.
“Building this barrier wall shows the Turkish attempt to separate our people,” he added.
Meanwhile Turkey claims that the construction of a concrete wall along the borderline with Syria comes in a bid to maintain security across the Turkish border.
