TURKEY REFUSES US REQUEST FOR COMBAT TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN

Asbarez
Dec 3rd, 2009

ANKARA (Hurriyet)-Turkish troops in Afghanistan will not engage in
combat with the Taliban, Turkey’s defense minister and diplomats
emphasized on Thursday in reaction to the United States’ request for
extra soldiers for ‘flexible’ missions.

Ankara responded coolly late Wednesday to the United States’ request
for more Turkish forces to be deployed to Afghanistan as officials
emphasized the country’s policy of keeping its troops out of combat
in the war-torn country.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s call for NATO allies to dispatch more
soldiers came only days before Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan is set to visit Washington.

Turkey increased its troops in Afghanistan by sending 958 more soldiers
last month, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said late Wednesday.

Noting Turkey’s reluctance to take part in armed clashes with the
Taliban, Gonul underscored "no shift in this policy."

"We maintain our reservations about Turkish troops’ involvement in
military operations and combat in Afghanistan," Gonul told reporters,
although U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey called for "more
flexibility" regarding job descriptions.

After wrapping up his talks in Jordan, Turkish President Abdullah
Gul also rejected the idea of Turks participating in combat missions
in Afghanistan.

"No doubt, our efficiency will increase, but we will decide how to
do so," Gul told reporters. "We do not want to be in a position of
fighting there."

Turkey took over command of the International Security Assistance
Force, or ISAF, in Kabul on Oct. 31. A total of 1,750 Turkish soldiers
are currently on duty in Afghanistan; four teams are engaged in
training missions.

Obama announced his decision to send 30,000 additional forces and asked
his NATO allies to contribute more to fight the Taliban militants. NATO
foreign ministers are expected to discuss the issue when they meet
in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

In a written statement late Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry expressed
hopes that Obama’s new strategy would bring peace and stability to
war-torn Afghanistan and vowed to increase its contribution, but in
terms of "training and reconstruction works."

"As a close friend and ally, we indeed support the U.S. call on the
international community to contribute more," the statement read. "We
have been increasing our contributions in line with our long-term
commitments for Afghanistan."

"Obama is asking for combat forces who will engage in armed clashes.

But it is clear-cut that we do not have such an opportunity," a
diplomatic source noted Thursday.

In reaction to Jeffrey’s remarks, the source said: "We find his remarks
strange since the U.S. knows very well what our stance is. We have
not received an official proposal."

Turkey will increase its humanitarian efforts and training mission
to develop Afghan security forces, the ministry said. "As the
international community agrees today, military methods are not
enough to answer the existing problems in Afghanistan," it said
in its statement. "It is vital to support humanitarian efforts and
social-economic development projects in order to achieve peace and
stability."

"We’ve decided to widen our works by setting up a new provincial
reconstruction team in the near future," the ministry added.

Officials said that any involvement in armed clashes would be
counterproductive, noting that Turks are popular among locals thanks to
their non-military missions and that foreign officers sometimes carry
Turkish badges to help them feel more secure against possible attacks.

Turkey is hosting a tripartite summit that the Pakistani and Afghan
presidents will attend in order to try and solve security problems
and disputes between the two neighbors. The last one took place April
1, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul met his Pakistani and Afghan
counterparts, Asif Ali Zardari and Hamid Karzai, in Istanbul.

"We pay attention that the international community carries out civilian
and security missions to stabilize Afghanistan in maximum coordination
with Afghan and U.N. officials," the statement said.

European countries are generally reluctant to dispatch large numbers
of soldiers. Before promising any more troops, leaders are likely to
wait for an international conference on Afghanistan, which will take
place Jan. 28 in London.

Erdogan and Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug met Thursday in
a weekly routine meeting. No statement was released at the end of the
talks, which lasted for one hour and 40 minutes, but the U.S. request
for extra troops for Afghanistan was expected to be on the agenda.

The Supreme Military Council (YAS) will convene Friday to review the
country’s defense policy. The defense officials and army generals
are expected to discuss the Afghanistan mission.