The Taliban made a request to Turkey for technical help in running the international airport in Kabul, two Turkish officials said, according to Reuters.
The request leaves Turkey in a difficult position about whether to accept such a hazardous job, one of the officials said. A Taliban demand for all Turkish troops to leave the country has complicated such a mission, one official said.
“Ensuring the safety of workers without the Turkish armed forces is a risky job,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A member of the Taliban, speaking to Middle East Eye, denied the group had made such a request. “It isn’t correct,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, according to the news website.
Turkey, which has been responsible for security at the airport, began withdrawing its military from Kabul on Wednesday. Its armed forces were part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan in a non-combative role.
Turkey had offered to keep troops in the country past a U.S. deadline for withdrawal of Aug. 31 to continue maintaining airport security. The Taliban had rejected the offer, saying its armed forces would be treated as an occupying power.
Ahval