Taliban warns Erdogan to keep its troops in Afghanistan

The Taliban have warned the regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that its forces will remain in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of international forces.

“The decision of the Turks is not wise, it is a violation of our sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and is contrary to our national interests,” the group said in a statement.

A statement came days after Turkey announced that its troops would take over security at Kabul airport following the planned withdrawal of foreign troops at the end of August.

Turkey is seeking to capitalize on the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by rushing to protect the Kabul airport and set foot in Central Asia.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara and Washington had agreed that Turkish troops would take over security of Kabul airport after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Kabul airport is the main exit route for Western diplomats and aid workers, and the fear of it falling into the hands of the Taliban following the withdrawal of foreign troops is driving NATO to seek a quick solution.

Since 2001, NATO member Turkey has deployed hundreds of troops to Afghanistan.

In a speech on Thursday, Biden declared that the withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan would end on August 31, after nearly 20 years of presence there, and said that Taliban control of the country was not “inevitable”.

Hours after his speech, the Taliban announced on Friday that they had taken control of Islam Qala, Afghanistan’s most important border crossing with Iran, and now control 85% of Afghan territory.