Turkey is trying to consolidate the role in Afghanistan

Turkey is agreeing an agreement with the US to take over security operations at Kabul’s civilian airport, offering NATO partners a rare opportunity for cooperation after a series of disputes have cooled relations.

This week, the United States left its main military base in Afghanistan, part of an accelerated withdrawal that has caused resurgent Taliban to gain ground and worry the country could fall into chaos.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Joe Biden at the NATO summit last month that Turkey could manage airport security if the US president provided him with the “diplomatic, logistical and financial support” needed for the mission. Erdogan also acknowledged “the reality of the Taliban,” and said Ankara would continue talks with militants.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a “constructive and positive” telephone conversation on Wednesday about “the safe operation of Hamid Karzai International Airport,” he said. Turkish Defense Ministry and added that they would speak again on Thursday.

Akar said this week that Turkey was determined to make “contributions to the security, peace and well-being of the Afghan people,” according to state broadcaster TRT.

Hikmet Cetin, a former Turkish foreign minister, served as NATO’s high civilian representative in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is now in the midst of a de facto civil war. Turkey needs a ceasefire and an agreement with the Taliban, who are now telling him, “You came with NATO and you will leave with NATO,” he said. an error. It’s too risky. “

Keeping Hamid Karzai International Airport open as a safe gateway is crucial if embassies and humanitarian aid organizations are to remain in Afghanistan. “We are aware that Kabul airport must remain open and operational. If not, embassies will be withdrawn, making Afghanistan an isolated state,” Akar said.

Turkey, NATO’s second largest army, is already conducting military operations at the airport. Akar has ruled out increasing the battalion by 500 troops and Erdogan has said he hopes to recruit both Hungary and Pakistan for the mission. Pakistan has already refused to allow the US to launch airstrikes from its ground. Pakistan expects Turkey to seek “logistical support and passage” through the country and “exchange of information about Afghanistan,” a senior Pakistani government official told the Financial Times on condition of anonymity.

Rahimullah Yusufzai, a longtime Afghan watchdog based in Peshawar, the border town of the Afghan border, said Pakistan’s involvement will provoke tensions with the current Afghan government, which sees Islamabad as the Taliban’s main sponsor. “The best thing Pakistan can do is give informal support to Turkey. Beyond that, I don’t think Pakistan is interested, “he said.

Turkey, which has supported the United States in a non-combatant role since the war began in 2001, shares religious and other ties with Afghanistan. Erdogan also sees the initiative as an opportunity to “recalibrate relations” with the United States after years of separation by divergent foreign policies, said Hasan Selim Ozertem, an independent security analyst.

“Turkey believes this step can prove that it remains an indispensable partner of NATO, which recalls that it can work with the US, which is one of the few countries that can take on this responsibility,” he said.

Since the Biden election, Erdogan has pledged to repair ties with the United States, which sanctioned Ankara for the purchase of an advanced Russian missile system designed to shoot down NATO planes. An agreement on Afghanistan “puts them [the disputes] in deep freezing and provides the parties with a positive agenda to focus on, “Ozertem said. U.S. government officials declined to comment on its progress toward an agreement with Turkey.

Additional reports by Stephanie Findlay in New Delhi and Aime Williams in Washington