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Turkey regards Afghan training as historic mission
It is an open message to the Afghan people that Turkey, NATO’s only Muslim member, is not here to fight. Turkey, which holds the rotating command of the international peacekeeping force guarding the Afghan capital, steadfastly refuses to accept combat missions, fearing a backlash from Muslims here, at home and elsewhere.
But the Turkish generals firmly believe that they have an uncompleted mission to train and help develop Afghanistan. Turkey has had close ties with Afghanistan since Afghan King Amanullah invited in Turks to help his country during the 1920s.
Today, Turkish instructors are training the Afghan army and police force, running hospitals, building schools and opening vocational courses. They have not come under an attack since their arrival in 2002.
“The mission of the Turkish unit here is to increase the number of smiling eyes in Afghanistan,” said Brig. Gen. Levent Çolak, the top Turkish commander in Kabul, on Tuesday. “At the same time, we are doing our best to increase Afghan army and policemen’s capabilities.”
Stephen Flanagan, an international security specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says: “As fellow Muslims, Turkish soldiers do have greater sensitivity and understanding of cultural and religious factors that impact the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force, a NATO-led international force in Afghanistan] mission than most soldiers from other NATO countries.”
Turkish generals privately say that the respect and friendship felt for the Turkish soldiers are so strong that it would be unwise for NATO to waste it. Turkey’s refusal to fight the Taliban has drawn complaints from NATO commanders who are now preparing for a major offensive on the Taliban-held town of Marjah in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
“Turkey’s refusal to accept combat missions limits the flexibility of NATO commanders in using Turkish forces to cope with evolving situations on the ground,” Flanagan said. “Turkey is certainly not alone in having caveats on the use of their forces. Many other allies have limitations on the employment of their forces.”
However, there is consensus that training the Afghan army and police and handing over more combat responsibility is crucial for the exit of US soldiers and their allies out of the grinding Afghan war.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen last week urged allies to send about 2,500 new instructors to the country. The training effort so far has faced a number of challenges including lack of money and instructors.
But the arrest of a deputy provincial Afghan police chief last week on charges of helping insurgents place roadside bombs north of Kabul has raised concerns of infiltration by Taliban militants and widespread corruption. He was one of two senior Afghan officials arrested last week for ties to insurgents and corruption charges.
“The potential for corruption given the low pay of [Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police] forces and the resources the Taliban and other insurgents have from drug sales will remain a challenge,” Flanagan said.
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