President Joe Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan have agreed togive complete security control of Kabul Airport to Turkey after the UScompletes withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Thursday Bidenand Erdogan met at the Nato Summit on Monday when they discussed the Afghanissue.
He added that Erdogan sought certain forms of US support in exchange ofsecuring the airport and Biden agreed to providing that support.
He said that the two leaders were not able to settle an issue relatedTurkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems, a dispute that causedtension it ties between the NATO allies.
“The clear commitment from the leaders was established that Turkey wouldplay a lead role in securing Hamid Karzai International Airport and we arenow working through how to execute to get to that,” Sullivan said.
“We are feeling good about where we are in terms of the planning with theTurks on this issue,” the NSA added.
Turkey long has provided airport security as part of its contribution tothe NATO mission in Afghanistan.
Taliban leaders already have expressed concerns regarding presence of anyforeign personnel, including from Turkey, in the country to provide airportsecurity.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon completed “greater than 50%” of its taskof withdrawing troops and equipment from Afghanistan as the US is going toend its longest war this year.
Read Top Stories
The US military has removed “the equivalent of approximately 500 C-17 loadsof material out of Afghanistan,” according to the US Central Command(Centcom).
Nearly 13,000 pieces of equipment, which will not be handed over to theAfghan forces, have been given to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposal.
“The 13,000 pieces of equipment are comprised almost entirely of federalexcess personal property. This equipment does not consist of defensivearticles or are considered to be major equipment,” reads the official pressrelease.
The US has officially handed over six facilities to the Afghan Ministry ofDefense, it added.
“We anticipate additional transfers of bases and military assets in thefuture which will support the ANDSF/GIRoA as they work to stabilize anddefend their nation.”
In April, US President Joe Biden announced a full withdrawal of US troopsfrom Afghanistan by September 11, that will mark the 20th anniversary ofthe 9/11 attacks.
Under the deal brokered last year by the Trump administration with theTaliban, the foreign forces were bound to leave Afghanistan by May 1 butBiden extended it, enraging the former rulers of Afghanistan.
