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Amid the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Turkey probably did not expect that the Taliban taking control of Kabul Airport would refuse its involvement. The Taliban has warned Turkey against extending its troops presence in Afghanistan, insisting the decision was reprehensible.
Taliban spokesperson has said all foreign soldiers remaining in Afghanistan after September would be treated as occupation forces. And now it seems that Turkish forces may face resistance as a result of their stay in Afghanistan against the will of the Taliban. Turkey should keep in mind that US and NATO forces failed to suppress the Islamic group together.
During talks on the sidelines of last month’s NATO summit in Brussels, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with his US counterpart Joe Biden about the possibility of stationing Turkish troops in Afghanistan. NATO officials say they welcome Ankara’s involvement in Afghanistan. They think Turkey, as a Muslim-majority country, could play a mediating role in the Hindu Kush.
Turkey also offered Pakistan to take over security at Kabul Airport, but Islamabad apparently did not respond, and diplomatic humility was a must for Turkey after the Taliban’s unequivocal statement on its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Istanbul did not observe diplomatic etiquette before the Kabul Airport security decision, as such measures and decisions are first made behind the scenes and then announced.
However, Turkey announced the decision without taking Taliban into confidence. Meanwhile, Taliban believe that Turkey wants to establish a foothold in Afghanistan as a member of NATO, so given the current situation, it appears that Turkey would not be allowed to take over the security of Kabul Airport.
Turkey had a lead in becoming a member of NATO because the United States had signed an agreement with the Afghanistan in 2013, which made it clear that foreign forces could enter Afghanistan at any time, whether the Taliban wanted it or not. According to Article 26 of the agreement, both parties to the US and Afghanistan must give two years’ notice to anyone who wishes to rescind it.
Turkey could have stayed in Afghanistan under the US-Kabul agreement, or a new agreement could have been signed. But with the Taliban’s growing influence, no new agreement is likely to allow Turkey to deploy its forces in Afghanistan. Because NATO forces entered Afghanistan through a resolution and after the withdrawal this agreement has become ineffective.
However, since NATO was established in accordance with the UN Charter, it, as a regional organization, has the authority to intervene in the event of any attack on NATO countries.
Following the US-Taliban agreement, according to the UN Charter, it is a legal obligation for all members to consider the Afghan Taliban as a political movement. At the time of the peace talks between the US and the Taliban in February 2020, there would have been an excuse for the world to recognize the Taliban as a political force, but it did not happen.
The Taliban has reiterated its commitment that under the peace agreement with the United States, Afghanistan’s territory will not be used by any terrorist group and it will not allow Al Qaeda, ISIS or the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban to use Afghan territory under any circumstances.
Some circles consider the Afghan Taliban and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban as two sides of the same coin. However, there is a difference between the Afghan Taliban and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban that the TTP has been involved in terrorism in Pakistan and India has used the group for his nefarious purposes.
The statement of the Afghan Taliban is correct in the political context, but what the Afghan Taliban, the United States and the United Nations expect from Pakistan will be known over time.
After Pakistan’s efforts in the peace agreement, it is certain that the Afghan Taliban lauds Islamabad, but it is also a fact that the Taliban do not take anyone’s dictation. And now Pakistan, through its ambassadors, should spread the message that the Taliban will never take dictation from Islamabad.
The United States wants to see Ashraf Ghani’s government for another two years, but in my personal opinion, Ghani’s government will not sustain for more than six months. Taliban have established their control over about 85% of Afghanistan and the government’s influence in these areas has waned.
Therefore, the future of Ashraf Ghani’s government is in jeopardy. That is why the UK has openly expressed its support for the establishment of a Taliban government in Afghanistan and other countries of the world will not express displeasure to the Taliban’s rule.
The United Nations can only be troubled by the formation of a Taliban government with basic human rights or inhumane treatment of women. But the Taliban have also indicated that there will be no restrictions on women’s education or basic human rights.
The Afghan Taliban is now much more mature than they were in 1990, and they have realized their power. If the Taliban use their power properly, the world will sincerely recognize them, as Britain did.
