Erdogan Claims Taliban Asked Turkey to Take Charge at Kabul Airport in Wake of Deadly Attacks

At least 170 people were killed and over 1,330 others injured in Thursday’s bombing and gun attacks outside Kabul’s airport, among them 13 US service members and 28 Taliban* fighters. Daesh-Khorasan* claimed responsibility for the acts of terror, saying they targeted “Crusaders and apostates,” American forces, and “spies.”

The Taliban have asked Ankara to take control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, but the Turkish side has yet to make a final decision on the matter, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

“We have received a request from the Taliban to run the Kabul airport. They said they would be in charge of security while we would operate it. We have not made a decision, as evacuating our citizens and servicemen is currently the top priority. We need to see the general picture in Afghanistan, there is currently no government there. We will consider the issue when everything becomes clear,” Erdogan said, speaking to reporters at a news conference on Friday before departing for a visit to Bosnia.

“Yesterday’s attack showed once again how dangerous and unhuman the Daesh terror organization is in the region and the world,” the president added, referring to Thursday’s terror attacks.

The president confirmed that the Taliban and Turkey held their first formal talks on Friday, with the discussions said to have lasted three and a half hours. “If necessary, we will have the opportunity to hold such talks again,” Erdogan said.

The president also confirmed that Turkey had fully evacuated its embassy compound in the Afghan capital, and that diplomats and other staff had been transported to the section of the airport where Turkish servicemen are present for future evacuation.

UK coalition forces, Turkish coalition forces, and U.S. Marines assist a child during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, in this photo taken on August 20, 2021

© REUTERS / US MARINES

Turkey Wants Security Guarantees

Prior to Erdogan’s comments on Friday, a senior unnamed Turkish official told Reuters that Ankara had the technical capability to secure Kabul Airport, but added that Ankara’s demands included “that security should be ensured by Turkey too, through an extensive security team made up of former soldiers, former police, or a fully private firm.” The official said that Ankara had “not been keen” on operating the airport in conditions where security was provided by the Taliban, and suggested that “the attacks yesterday showed this was correct.” Another official told the news agency that the Taliban’s security measures, including watchtowers surrounding the airport manned by armed guards, were not enough to ensure the safety of any Turkish forces which may operate there.

Turkey announced plans to secure and operate Kabul’s airport earlier this summer in the aftermath of US and other NATO countries’ plans to withdrawal from the country. Ankara had a contingent of about 500 troops in Afghanistan at the time as part of the NATO occupation force. These troops began to evacuate on Wednesday, with some 350 soldiers and 1,400 others taken out of the country as of Friday.

The Taliban had warned the Turkish government not to keep troops in the country, saying their presence would be “a big mistake” and would constitute a violation of the US-Taliban agreement reached in 2020. “It is not appropriate for an Islamic country to be at enmity with another Islamic country on behalf of the occupying infidels,” Taliban Spokesman Muhammad Naeem said at the time.

Last month, Erdogan suggested that Turkey was the only nation that could be “trusted” with maintaining security in Afghanistan once other foreign forces leave. In a dig at the militants, Erdogan called on the Taliban to end its “occupation” of areas of Afghanistan under its control. In the aftermath of the fall of Kabul, Turkish officials have praised the Taliban for its “moderate” statements, but has not offered any formal recognition, saying its interactions with the militants would depend on their behaviour.

* Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries.