ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2021) Turkey will complete the withdrawal of its military from Afghanistan within 36 hours, the president's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Turkish defense ministry announced that the country has begun the evacuation of Turkish troops, as they have "successfully fulfilled their duty in Afghanistan." According to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Turkey will speed up the evacuation despite difficult conditions at the moment.
"We will completely evacuate our military from Kabul for 24-36 hours. After our troops leave Afghanistan, we still can manage the airport in Kabul. Our civilian specialists can provide support. Negotiations on this issue are still underway," Kalin said, as broadcast by tv channel NTV.
It is necessary to provide security in the Kabul airport in any case, the spokesman added.
"I do not think the Taliban [a terrorist group, banned in Russia] is capable of this work [securing the airport]. They will likely request such service by themselves. If the airport stop functioning, they are not interested in that," Kalin said.
In July, Ankara expressed its willingness to provide security for Kabul airport after the withdrawal of American troops. The Taliban said that although the movement seeks good relations with Turkey, they have no desire to see Turkish troops in Afghanistan.
