Turkey began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan on the 25th of this month, and the Taliban appointed new ministers and promised to ensure security around Kabul International Airport. At the same time, there were warnings that ISIS might be launching an attack.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that it has begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. The Ministry stated in a statement that “members of the Turkish Armed Forces on duty at Hamid Karzai Airport in Afghanistan have begun to withdraw” to return to their country.
The statement added, “The Turkish Armed Forces will return to the motherland with the pride of successfully completing their mission.”
Turkey has deployed 500 soldiers in Afghanistan. They mainly perform non-combat missions within the framework of NATO’s now abandoned missions.
Turkey has recently negotiated with the United States and the Taliban separately. Regarding the possibility that it will contribute to the security of Kabul Airport after the United States withdraws, according to the original plan, the U.S. withdrawal process will be completed on the 31st.
Turkish President Erdogan emphasized that Turkey still hopes to play a role in Afghanistan and keep its channels of communication with Taliban leaders open.
He stated that “it is vital to maintain stability in Afghanistan” and, at the same time, issued a statement regarding the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Kabul.
On the other hand, Turkish Presidential Office spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin tweeted that “Turkey will continue to make every effort to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Afghan people.”
When answering how long it would take for the Turkish army to withdraw from the country, Kalin emphasized that this is related to the plan made by the Ministry of Defense, saying that it may be completed within 24 hours or 36 hours.
Kalin also said that after the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers, Turkey will still be able to continue to complete the operation of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
Kalin added, “If mutual understanding is reached on the relevant terms and an agreement is reached in this direction, then we will continue to provide this service.”
In this regard, he explained that Turkey’s continued operation of the airport will be in the interests of Afghanistan, the transition process and the new government that will be formed later.
He added that if the new government is to gain international recognition, it must ensure the safety of the airport and ensure the normal operation of the airport.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense has also opened the door to the option of playing a security role in Kabul at some stage, stating that “As long as the Afghan people are willing, Turkey will stay with them.”
Serious warning
On the security front, the US media quoted officials to issue a serious and reliable warning of ISIS’ intention to attack the gate of Kabul’s airport.
The U.S. Embassy posted on its website saying that due to security threats, citizens should avoid Kabul Airport and its gates unless instructed by representatives of the U.S. government.
It called on U.S. personnel currently present at the airport gates to leave immediately, and advised to always be cautious—especially when crowds gather, and follow the instructions of local authorities—especially with regard to movement restrictions and curfews.
Reuters quoted a Taliban official as saying, “Our guards risked their lives at the Kabul airport and they are also facing threats from ISIS.”
The Taliban official said, “We will continue to protect civilians outside the Kabul airport, and Western troops must abide by their deadlines on their withdrawal tasks.”
A NATO diplomat said that the Taliban had promised to provide security outside the airport in Kabul, “but intelligence reports on the imminent threat of ISIS cannot be ignored.”
Ministerial position
On the political level, the Taliban movement appoints senior officials to serve as ministers and administrative positions, and shifts its focus from military victory to how to govern this country in crisis.
The two leaders of the movement will assume the positions of finance minister and defense minister.
After quickly achieving military victory in unexpected ways, the Taliban movement is facing difficulties in governance. In order to rule the country, it turned to celebrities in the movement and some lower-level managers to complete this task. .
The Taliban did not officially announce the new appointment. One of the leaders emphasized that this is not the final appointment decision. However, according to an earlier report by the Bajwak News Agency, Gul Agha was appointed as Finance Minister, and Sadr Yi Brahim was appointed as acting Minister of the Interior.
Sources from the movement told Al Jazeera reporters that Abdul Kayoum Zakir, who was once detained in Guantanamo prison, was appointed as the acting defense minister.
A Taliban official in Kabul confirmed that after the movement took control of all offices in the government, presidential palace and parliament, the appointment of key ministries and commissions was completed this week.
The official added that the local governing officials will be appointed from among the leaders of the movement with experience in the past 20 years of war.
A Taliban commander also confirmed that the appointment of the main cabinet positions has been completed, but he emphasized that the appointment status has not been officially announced.
Since the details have not yet been made public, the commander, who asked not to be named, added, “We met in the presidential palace last night and we discussed these issues, but we did not officially appoint anyone or announce any of them.”
Some experts said that other people appointed to government positions are mainly military leaders of the movement from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.
Last week, the Taliban appointed Haji Mohamed Idris as the acting governor of the country’s central bank.
A senior official of the movement stated that Idris and the former leader of the movement, Akhtar Mansour, have long-term cooperation experience in financial affairs, and the latter had been involved in a drone attack in 2016. Killed in.
While appointing its supporters to senior government positions, the Taliban movement also ordered middle-level officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank to return to their jobs.
Taliban spokesman Zabihara Mujahid told reporters in Kabul on the 25th that “it’s time for people to work for the country.”
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