İYİ Party leader opposes Turkish deployment for security of Kabul airport

ANKARA

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener on June 23 objected to a proposal by the Turkish government for the deployment of troops to secure the Kabul airport of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of NATO forces in the war-torn country.

There is no need to negotiate the financial aspect of this “meaningless” mission with the United States, Akşener said at her party’s parliamentary group meeting.

She stressed that it is the U.S. that has to restore the order in Afghanistan. 

She warned against possible casualties of Turkish soldiers in this mission and vowed to hold accountability on the case of any deaths of Turkish troops in Afghanistan.

Turkey proposed to secure and manage the airport in Kabul after NATO troops end their mission as a Resolute Support Mission. Ankara asked for political, logistical and financial support to conduct the new mission.

The issue was also discussed at the NATO Leaders’ Summit held in Brussels, as well as the tête-à-tête meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Joe Biden. A U.S. delegation will have talks in Turkey on June 24 for the details of the mission.

In its first reaction, the Taliban expressed its opposition to any foreign troops remaining in Afghanistan after the U.S. and NATO forces leave the war-torn country.

As part of the NATO Resolute Support Mission, Turkey has been operating the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan for six years.