Erdogan offers Pak, Turk, Hungarian troops to protect Kabul airport

BRUSSELS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed a new joint mission, which will also involve Pakistan and Hungary, to protect and run Kabul’s international airport following the withdrawal of other NATO troops.

Talking to reporters Monday during the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Brussels, the Turkish president said his country would need “diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance” from the US if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan for security operations.

According to TRT World, Ankara is reported to have offered to guard the airport amid concerns over the security along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to Kabul.

“If they don’t want us to leave Afghanistan, if they want a (Turkish) support there, then the diplomatic, logistic, and financial support that the United States will give us will be of great importance,” Erdogan said. Turkey currently has some 500 soldiers in the war-torn country.

NATO committed to providing transitional funding for the Hamid Karzai airport and the NATO chief said Turkey would play a key role there.