After the US military withdrew, Turkey proposed to protect the strategic airport in Kabul. Experts believe this is a high-risk attempt to improve the tension between Ankara and Washington.
After U.S. President Joe Biden called for an end to Washington’s 20 years of involvement and ordered all troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of next month, ensuring that the air hub is not advanced by the Taliban has become a major issue.
Hamid Karzai International Airport provides the safest route for embassy staff and humanitarian assistance to reach this war-torn country.
Its downfall may isolate Afghanistan to a large extent from the world.
When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met for the first time at the NATO summit in June, Ankara’s unexpected proposal gave them the opportunity to establish a rapport with Biden.
The proposal is in line with the two goals of Turkish leaders: to maintain a warm and indifferent relationship with Western allies, and to avoid the influx of refugees by keeping aid routes open.
“Turkey has a vested interest in the stability of Afghanistan,” said Magdalena Kirchner, the country director of Afghanistan for the Friedrich Albert Foundation, a German foundation.
Turkish officials downplayed the diplomatic aspect of the mission and emphasized the importance of alleviating the suffering in Afghanistan.
A Turkish diplomatic source said: “Our goal is to ensure that Afghanistan is not closed to the outside world and not isolated.”
The United Nations said this month that 18 million people-half of the Afghan population-need assistance, and half of all children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition.
‘Regain the favor’
Although Washington still views Turkey as an important ally in a troubled region of the world, the relationship between the two countries has been plagued by disputes, including Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian missile defense system.
Washington approved the purchase of Ankara last year.
“The main factor behind the airport proposal…is the relationship between Turkey and the United States: Ankara hopes to regain Washington’s favor after a series of diplomatic crises,” said analyst Salim Sevik at the German SWP Think Tank. Wrote in the paper.
Turkish sources declined to elaborate on what Ankara wants from Washington in exchange for its continued presence in Afghanistan.
But Erdogan has said that Turkey needs logistical support and financial support from the United States. According to reports, the two sides have made progress in closed-door talks between the armed forces.
The Turkish leader also mentioned that Hungary and Pakistan may participate in this mission.
But Turkish sources said that Ankara has not had direct talks with Islamabad on the airport issue, and Hungary has hardly said about its possible role.
‘We believe in you’
Ankara is still talking to the Taliban, hoping to find an arrangement that can prevent the Turkish army from becoming a target of the hardline Islamic movement.
The Taliban publicly stated that Turkey’s idea of garrisoning troops in Kabul was “condemned.
Kirchner said: “Even though the United States withdraws, Turkey’s ambition to remain involved seems to be true, but if the violence escalates, Turkey will face the risk of protecting its own military.”
But Erdogan said that he is willing to “see where these (with the Taliban) talks will take us”, and the attitude of Turkish officials is also very positive.
“In our discussions with the Taliban, they said:’We trust you, we know you have no hidden agenda’,” said a Turkish source.
As part of the NATO-led non-combat mission, Turkey has approximately 500 soldiers in Afghanistan, and the withdrawal of the mission is nearing completion.
“Europeans are worried”
The UN Refugee Agency counted 125,104 Afghan asylum seekers in Turkey in 2020. There are 3.6 million Syrian refugees in the country.
Their growing presence can become an emotional issue, and the opposition is trying to use this issue to prevent Erdogan from extending his rule to the third decade in the 2023 election.
The main opposition party vowed this month to let Syrians “go home” and raised the issue of the arrival of Afghans in Turkey, which caused waves.
Erdogan reached an agreement with the European Union in 2016, and Turkey agreed to accept immigrants in exchange for billions of dollars in aid.
Ankara and Brussels are working to update the agreement, and Afghanistan has dominated negotiations between European and Turkish officials.
“Europeans are very worried,” the Turkish source said.
A total of 201,437 Afghan immigrants were arrested in Turkey in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic dropped these numbers to 50,161 last year, and so far this year to about 29,000.
But EU and Turkish officials have agreed on one thing: the number of Afghan seeking asylum may rise after the U.S. forces withdraw.
