Erdoğan reflects on Taliban's rule, women's rights in Afghanistan, ISIS-K

Erdoğan with journalists in his plane. (Photo: AA)

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While the Taliban's statements so far are moderate, Turkey will carefully monitor its next steps, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today (August 29).

"We should definitely observe the Taliban's stance on becoming a state and governing a state," he told reporters traveling with him following his weekend Balkans tour.

"We have provided all sorts of support to Afghanistan, both infrastructure and superstructure, over the last 20 years. However, the Taliban caused some very serious damage in northern Afghanistan," Erdoğan said.

Turkey has taken non-combatant roles as part of Nato missions in Afghanistan over the past two decades. It also undertook numerous projects in education, healthcare, infrastructure and other fields.

The Taliban seized control of most of Afghanistan in rapid advances, including the August 15 capture of Kabul, with top government officials fleeing.

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Kabul airport and ISIS-K

Erdoğan also touched on last week's bombings outside the Kabul airport by the ISIS-K, killing at least 170 people including 13 US soldiers and leaving dozens wounded, and on the challenges of operating Kabul airport, a task Turkey long provided and wants to continue.

On the Taliban's reported proposal that Turkey would run the international airport while the Taliban ensures security, Erdoğan asked: "If you take over the security and there is another bloodbath there, how are we supposed to explain this to the world?"

"It's no easy task. Nearly 200 people died just after we discussed all this," he added.

Erdoğan said the US has not concluded a fight against the terror group anywhere, "not even in Iraq," rebuffing former US President Donald Trump's claims to have obliterated 100 percent of the ISIS "caliphate."

He voiced hope that the Biden administration will continue the fight from where the US left off, and destroy ISIS-K.

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Women's rights

Turkey can take all the steps possible for the women in Afghanistan to have the same rights as in Turkey, but conditions in the two countries cannot be evaluated the same way, said Erdoğan.

"From time to time, women MPs from Afghanistan would come. I would talk to them. When they talked about their women, they would say they achieved progress. They would show our women as an example," Erdoğan remarked.

"Now, I think the Taliban's view of women will not be the same as 20 years ago. They will probably see a change in this regard. Insisting on their position will not make sense," he said, adding that Turkey is ready to support in this regard as well.

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(RT/VK)