Turkey’s recent decision to secure Kabul airport after the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has provoked opposition.
After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that an agreement has been reached with the United States to secure Kabul Airport, the Taliban issued a statement opposing the continued presence of Turkish troops in Afghanistan, saying that the continued presence of Turkish troops would mean the occupation of the country.
The US-based Eurasia Review reports on the continued presence of Turkish troops at Kabul airport after the withdrawal of US troops, and writes that Ankara’s decision has provoked mixed reactions in Afghanistan.
According to the report, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview on July 13, 2021 in Kabul: Turkey and Afghanistan have long historical and friendly relations and they can play an important role in resolving the Afghan conflict.
However, the Taliban warned Turkey in a statement on July 24, 2021, saying: The presence of any country’s force under any name in Afghanistan is an occupation and it stands against it.
“France 24” news site also wrote referring to the statement published by the Taliban: Afghanistan and Turkey have religious, historical and cultural ties, and their military presence evokes feelings of enmity and hatred between the two nations.
The statement also called on Turkey to reconsider its decision.
According to the American media, some countries have tried to turn the northern regions of Afghanistan into terrorist hotspots, thereby trying to cause unrest in Central Asian countries and China.
Concerns of China and Russia
According to the report, the US decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan could raise concerns in Russia and China, as escalating insecurity in Afghanistan could lead to unrest in those countries.
Reuters quoted a former Russian diplomat and two analysts as saying that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was a problem for Moscow. Russia is concerned that the outbreak of war in Afghanistan could turn the Central Asian region into a backyard for terrorist groups.
With the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the United States may seek to achieve a number of the following goals, according to the report:
First, there are signs that the United States and its allies clearly want to create a new global crisis in Russia, China, and Pakistan, referred to in this report as the Crisis Triangle.
Second, the security gap widens after the withdrawal of US and international troops from Afghanistan, leading to the suspension of the one-lane road project, one of China’s initiatives, as insecurity intensifies in the region.
Third, the United States wants to relieve some of the heavy financial burden of keeping its troops in Afghanistan, focusing more on its global priorities and extending the crisis to rival countries such as Russia and China.
According to the report, a significant part of the crisis is expected to affect Tajikistan, which has a population of about 9.3 million and is one of the most politically, economically and security-vulnerable countries in the Central Asian region.
According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Tajik counterpart Rahman on July 12, 2021, that Moscow would help Tajikistan repel any possible attacks if necessary.
Tajikistan currently has about 20,000 troops stationed on its border with Afghanistan and has requested military assistance from Russia.
Tajikistan, on the other hand, is home to Russia’s largest military base, which houses a significant number of different military equipment, including tanks, helicopters, drones and about 6,000 troops.