Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed US occupation and its eventual departure saying that the country was not safer with the US military’s presence.
In an interview with the CBS News show “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan”, Erdogan said, “With the American presence dating back to two decades, the region was not any safer. On the contrary, every day the region lost more blood.”
Erdogan said that Turkey will consider securing the airport on the condition that the US agrees to provide logistic support, including financial support and transfer of weapons and ammunition.
The Turkish president said, “But such things unfolded there that on the contrary, all the weapons, ammunition and vehicles at Karzai Airport were transferred to the Taliban. At the moment, Taliban are operating there with the American weapons. But we are actually accustomed to certain things because similarly, the terrorist groups that attack have unfortunately received logistical support from the US at a very severe extent.”
Erdogan said that the US was guilty of deliberately supporting terror groups with weapons. He said, “This happened during the previous US administration and is happening under the current administration, too … Terror groups PKK/YPG/PYD should not be backed with weapons.”
Noting that the US and Turkey were both NATO allies, Erdogan said, “While we should be in solidarity in NATO, terrorist organizations should not get such support.”
The US has consistently supported the YPG/PKK in northern Syria, claiming it is allied with the terror group to fight Daesh/ISIS. Turkey says using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.
“Turkey wants inclusive Afghan government”
The Turkish president also said Turkey does not have an agreement with the Taliban yet. He said Turkey will help run the Karzai Airport if the agreements and contracts suited Ankara.
Erdogan said, “We have always given the support which no one else has given to Afghanistan… we will do this in the next period. If a positive step will be taken with mutual positive agreements… [but] right now the government in Afghanistan is not inclusive. It is not possible for us to take a step with a government that is not inclusive. But, if the government shall be more inclusive, we can be there, present, as Turkey.”
The president said that his country would want all Afghan women to be involved in every aspect of life such as education, health, and judiciary.
