April 26, 2024

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Turkey Commits to Securing Afghan Airport After Americans Leave, U.S. Says

WASHINGTON—The U.S. and Turkey have agreed to a plan for the Turks to continue furnishing stability at the airport in Kabul, U.S. officials reported, making sure the U.S. and other nations can manage a diplomatic existence in Afghanistan adhering to the withdrawal of troops, predicted by following thirty day period.

Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s countrywide stability adviser, instructed reporters Thursday that both of those sides experienced created a “clear commitment” on the stability of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“We are emotion excellent about where we are in terms of the setting up with the Turks on this problem,” Mr. Sullivan reported.

The problem of airport stability is significant to the American diplomatic existence in Afghanistan. A Taliban takeover of the airport could make it impossible for American and allied staff to securely evacuate the state. U.S. armed service officials also have reported that with no a safe airport, the U.S. Embassy intricate in Kabul would have to shut down and all staff be taken out from the state.

Taliban leaders already have expressed opposition to any overseas staff, including from Turkey, remaining in the state to provide airport stability.

Turkey, which lengthy has offered airport stability as part of its contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Firm mission in Afghanistan, experienced asked for considerable assistance from the U.S. as part of its situation to safe the airport, including political, financial and logistical assist.

U.S. officials declined to say what the U.S. would give Turkey in return other than to say that Mr. Biden experienced created people commitments to Turkish President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

in a conference in Brussels on Monday.

Turkey also has sought to lower U.S. and NATO strain about its purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense method, which has strained relations. Mr. Sullivan reported there was no resolution of that problem in this week’s conference.

There was no quick reaction from Ankara on Thursday on Mr. Sullivan’s remarks regarding the airport talks, while the Turkish defense ministry reported a working day before that there was no ultimate deal.

Turkey also has proposed doing the job jointly with forces from Hungary and Pakistan to provide stability at the airport, but has not specified what purpose if any people nations would engage in.

Questioned what the U.S. would do if Turkey leaves the airport mission, Mr. Sullivan reported the U.S. was conducting contingency setting up that relied on the use of contractors with expertise in Afghanistan to safe the intricate.

Other officials have reported the only other viable possibility would be for Us residents to guard the airport by themselves. That is witnessed as not likely due to the fact it would call for hundreds of American armed service staff to stay in Afghanistan, officials reported, from the spirit of Mr. Biden’s decision to get rid of almost all American armed service staff from the state.

Create to Gordon Lubold at [email protected]

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