Turkey increases troops as NATO ends combat ops in Afghanistan

World Today

Analysts worry the newly trained Afghan army is not yet ready or equipped to take on the daunting task of securing the country.

NATO formally ended their combat operations in Afghanistan months ago and transferred full security responsibility to the Afghan government. Yet as international combat troops pull out, NATO member Turkey is sending more troops in. CCTV’s Natalie Carney filed this report from Istanbul, Turkey.

About 13,000 foreign troops will remain in Afghanistan to continue training the Afghan National Security Force under a new two-year non-combative mission named ‘Resolute Support’.

NATO member-state Turkey will increase their troop numbers from 700 to over 1000; the only country to do so.

Professor Emre Hatipoglu said Turkey, who refuses to partake in combat missions in fellow Muslim countries, can now act more independently.

In 2011 Turkey established the Istanbul Process between Central Asian countries in order to work towards and promote a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

Last October Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited newly elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul to strengthen his country’s commitment to peace between Afghanistan and its neighbor Pakistan, who is accused of harboring the Afghan Taliban.

Turkey, along with China, has also been cited as a potential mediator for negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban insurgents. Yet as a Western ally, Turkey’s motives raise questions in some corners. Something Turkey needs to address as insurgency attacks increase across the country.

Turkey provides nearly $100 million in aid to Afghanistan annually and has announced it is spending over $50 million to manage the Kabul International Airport over the next two years. Turkey also plans to support other infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. As Turkey ramps up its efforts, thousands continue to flee the increasing violence in and around Kabul and other hot spots in the country. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimates that more than 10,000 Afghanis will move to Turkey in 2015, giving the capitol Ankara even more reason to want to try and help find a solution.