The Taliban have guaranteed Turkey that the security of Afghanistan’s Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport will be ensured, the group’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Sunday after Turkey offered to provide security and run the airport itself.
Mujahid told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the Taliban have special forces to ensure the security of Kabul airport and that it will not be difficult to ensure security at the airport while that of the capital Kabul is also ensured.
Although Mujahid insisted that the Taliban are able to provide security at the airport, Turkey voiced doubts on the issue.
“You see, around 200 people died when no one expected it. There are also Taliban members among those who died,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier on the same day in an interview with Turkish media on a flight back from Montenegro.
“We will see what the Taliban’s stance will be on being a state and managing a state,” he added.
He said that the Taliban insisted on taking over the security of the airport and that Turkey takes over the management of the airport.
“How can we give security to you (Taliban)? How can we explain to the world if blood is shed again when you take over security?”
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. Nearly 200 Afghans were killed alongside 13 United States service members, Afghan and U.S. officials said. Turkey has offered to provide security and run the airport.
Mujahid said that after completely taking over the airport, the Taliban would determine the necessities and would ask for these from Turkey or other countries.
Explaining that the Taliban aims for good relations with Turkey, Mujahid said: “The Turkish people and state are our friends. We have many reasons to continue this friendship.”
He added that the group wants Ankara’s continued support for Afghanistan and to establish economic ties.
“Just as before, we also need Turkey’s support in the field of education,” he added.
Turkey has praised what it described as moderate statements by the Taliban since they captured Kabul on Aug. 15 and has said it is open to engaging with them once a new, inclusive government is formed. Speaking on the recent terrorist attack that occurred at the airport, Mujahid said groups will not have a pretext to fight after foreign forces have left the country and a new government is formed.
Mujahid said that Taliban members are successful in providing security and can hinder structures such as Daesh. He pointed out that the group has left behind 20 years of war, can gather definite and clear intelligence, and does not need the help of any country in the fight against terrorist groups.
Since 2002, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have operated in Afghanistan under the United Nations, NATO and bilateral agreements to contribute to the peace, welfare and stability of the Afghan people.
Turkey had more than 500 noncombatant troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of NATO’s now-abandoned mission in the war-torn country.
Turkey has been in Afghanistan in a noncombatant role for two decades and has been involved in consultancy efforts, reconstruction and maintenance. It has been operating the airport for six years.
It had been negotiating with both the Taliban and Washington about playing a role in protecting the airport after the U.S. troop withdrawal, which is scheduled to be completed soon.
But the Taliban’s swift capture of the Afghan capital changed Ankara’s plans.
After the Taliban seized control of the country Turkey offered technical and security assistance at the airport.
Keeping the airport open after foreign forces hand over control is vital not just for Afghanistan to stay connected to the world but to maintain aid supplies and operations.
Turkish officials said that the Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run the Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but have insisted that Ankara’s military also withdraw fully by the end of the August deadline.
Within this scope, Turkey Friday completed the evacuation of all Turkish personnel and all Turkish citizens who wished to leave Afghanistan, in less than 48 hours. The evacuation was completed days before the Taliban’s Aug. 31 deadline for foreign forces to leave the country.
The Taliban recently declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul two weeks ago, sending Western nations scrambling to evacuate their citizens amid chaos at the Kabul airport as frantic Afghans searched for a way out.
It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as Afghan government forces, trained for two decades and equipped by the U.S. and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Sunday said that ensuring the security of Kabul airport was an extremely important issue and that they were carefully considering options for as well as the Taliban’s proposal.
Çavuşoğlu spoke in a joint news conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Turkey's southern Antalya province.
Turkey is evaluating the proposal carefully, he said, adding that they will conduct additional detailed evaluations soon.
Çavuşoğlu said that inspection reports show that runways, towers and terminals, including those in the civilian side of the airport, were damaged and needed to be repaired.
"Personnel is needed for this. Likewise, the required equipment needs to be provided," he said.
Çavuşoğlu said the airport initially needs to be operated to help send humanitarian aid into the country and continue evacuations.
"But also for the airport to be open to civilian flights, including Turkish Airlines, the deficiencies we mentioned need to be taken care of and work needs to be done," he said, adding that the requests were being relayed to the Taliban.
For his part, Maas said Turkey has made an important contribution with its help with evacuations from the airport.
"I would like to thank you again for the efforts Turkey has made at Kabul airport in the last few weeks. Turkey has made a significant contribution to the realization of evacuation flights with the security measures it has provided here," Maas said.
Noting that there are still German nationals and local personnel in Afghanistan, he said they want to work to bring these people to Germany.
Maas said Germany is grateful that Turkey proposed to run the Kabul airport.
"We asked the Taliban to promise to provide security. We have to negotiate with the Taliban. They want the airport to be operated. In this regard, we are ready to contribute both financially and technically," he added.
“We are the grateful to Turkey for their offer to continue operating the Kabul airport. Germany is also ready to support this – financially, but also technically,” Maas tweeted following his meeting with Çavuşoğlu.
Highlighting that migration in the region will grow, he said countries must ensure a safe route for people. For this purpose, he said he would hold talks in the region, including with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
Turkey’s top diplomat noted that Turkey has sufficiently fulfilled its humanitarian and ethical duties regarding migration and cannot take the burden of an additional migrant wave from Afghanistan.
"There have been allegations that especially the U.S. and the United Kingdom will keep Afghans in Turkey for a certain period after evacuating them from the country. Those countries have denied this,” he noted.
There has never been a proposal from any country to keep the evacuated people in Turkey, Çavuşoğlu said.
Unfortunately, disinformation is common in such situations, and sometimes it can even be effective, he added.
Explaining that 3.5 million people were displaced in Afghanistan, he said, "If the migration flow from Afghanistan reaches crisis levels, not only the countries in the region but also everyone, including Europe, will be affected."
He urged countries to learn lessons from the Syrian crisis and come up with solutions together.
Germany wants to prevent a possible humanitarian disaster, Maas said, adding that they want to provide 100 million euros ($117 million) to the U.N. Refugee Commission to support the people of the region.
A proposal by France to create a secure U.N. zone in Kabul to enable the continued evacuation of citizens and local staff was backed by Maas, while Çavuşoğlu expressed skepticism.
"This proposal actually sounds good. But is it easy or possible to implement? We have to look at that," he said.
Turkey has recently seen an increase in refugees, particularly from Afghanistan.
Concerns have risen over a possible spike in migrants from Afghanistan due to the U.S.' pullout from the country after two decades.
Within the scope of fighting irregular migration, a 243-kilometer (151-mile) concrete wall, topped with barbed wire and surrounded by trenches, is being erected along Turkey’s 534-kilometer border with Iran.
Turkey is not the only country putting up barriers. Its neighbor Greece has just completed a 40-kilometer fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the European Union.
Authorities say there are 182,000 registered Afghan migrants in Turkey and up to an estimated 120,000 unregistered ones. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged European countries to take responsibility for any new influx, warning that Turkey had no intention of becoming "Europe's migrant storage unit."
The issue is also likely to feature in talks between Ankara and Brussels about updating a 2016 deal under which Turkey received aid for hosting migrants seeking refuge in the EU.
Meanwhile, security forces nabbed at least 42 irregular migrants traveling in a minibus in eastern Turkey Sunday.
Acting on a tip, local gendarmerie forces in the Van province pulled over a minibus en route from the districts of Erciş to Adilcevaz.
In the operation, 36 Afghans and six Pakistani nationals were held, and a suspect allegedly organizing the migrant smuggling was arrested.
The suspect was fined TL 79,442 ($9,500) and the minibus was impounded. Investigations are ongoing.
