Taliban asked Turkey to assist in running Kabul airport: Turkish officials

The conditional request by the Islamist Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S. invasion, leaves Ankara with a difficult decision over whether to accept a hazardous job, one official said.

Mainly Muslim Turkey was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan and still has hundreds of troops at Kabul airport. The officials say they are ready to withdraw at short notice.

But President Tayyip Erdogan's government has said for months that it could keep a presence at the airport if requested. After the Taliban seized control of the country Turkey offered technical and security assistance at the airport.

"The Taliban have made a request for technical support in running Kabul airport," a senior Turkish official said, adding however that the Taliban demand for all Turkish troops to leave would complicate any prospective mission.

"Ensuring the safety of workers without the Turkish Armed Forces is a risky job," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Talks with the Taliban on the issue were ongoing and, in the meantime, preparations for a troop withdrawal had been completed, he said.

It was unclear whether Turkey would agree to give technical assistance if its troops were not there to provide security.

Another Turkish official said a final decision would be made by the Aug. 31 deadline for foreign forces to leave the country and end a 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan.

Keeping the airport open after foreign forces hand over control is vital not just for Afghanistan to stay connected to the world but also to maintain aid supplies and operations.

"It's going to be a critical lifeline for the humanitarian action in Afghanistan," Mary Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme director in Afghanistan, said last week.

SOURCE: REUTERS