Turkish Forum

Category: Afghanistan

  • Trump’s Afghanistan Strategy Unveils US Stronger Ties with Tajikistan

    Trump’s Afghanistan Strategy Unveils US Stronger Ties with Tajikistan

    The United States continue expanding their presence in the Central Asia as part of the program «The Great Central Asia». As President Trump announced his new policy on Afghanistan earlier this week, the US Administration have started looking towards Tajikistan, the key region on the Central Asia which has a longer border with Afghanistan.

    Boosted earlier in 2016 by the Secretary of State John Kerry, the cooperation between the United States and the Central Asia in trade, economic development, the anti-terrorism fight is likely to be particularly focused on making stronger ties with Tajikistan as the US Embassy in Dushanbe have lobbied the military and technical aid agreement between the United States and Tajikistan. The $100 billion agreement for a period of 5 years, from 2018 to 2023, has already been approved by Tajikistan authorities, according to the head of the Tajik Border Security Forces col. Avzalov.

    As part of the agreement, the US Embassy in Tajikistan with support of «AT Communication US» will implement a new operation control system designed by «HARRIS» to the Tajik Border Security Forces. The system is designed according to the C4ICR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) standard which is used by NATO. The system will also let the United States track Tajik military actions online by integration with the communication channels of the Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

    The stronger ties the bigger funding. The United States have decreased their military and technical financing around the world from $1 billion to $800 million since the start of 2017, while Tajikistan continues to receive larger funding than any other country in the region.

    However, by integrating the NATO control system to its Military Tajikistan will no longer be able to be a part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization which uses the Russian operation and control technologies while further strengthening of the US-Tajikistan relations may cause tension for Tajikistan authorities both with the Central Asian countries and Moscow. Finally, the initiative courageously taken by the Tajik Border Security Forces may have negative results considering the authoritative and self-dependent course of the President Emomali Rahmon.

  • Afghan Refugees in Izmir

    Afghan Refugees in Izmir

    Suffering News: 150 Afghan Refugees (children, women & men) in Yabaneilar Sube Izmir, Turkey who are locked up, due to harsh condition and force deportation, stop eating food till their rights are accepted.

  • Istanbul process’ countries ready to help Afghanistan

    Istanbul process’ countries ready to help Afghanistan

    Kazakhstan, Astana, 26 April / Trend, D. Mukhtarov /

    Almaty_1

    The 3rd Ministerial Conference of the ‘Istanbul Process held in Almaty on Friday ended with a declaration in which the parties confirmed their willingness to give full support to Afghanistan in order to involve it in the economic and political life of the region, the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reported.

    “The participants of the Conference noted the importance of these measures in the context of the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Forces from Afghanistan. Specific action plans on six confidence measures packages of Istanbul Process were approved,” the report says.

    The forum was attended by more than 50 delegations, headed by the foreign ministers of participating countries, supporting countries and heads of international organizations. The parties fully supported plans for regional cooperation in Afghanistan, confirmed their willingness to purposefully expand and deepen regional cooperation based on the principles of friendship, respect and mutual benefit.

    Several associated events in the context of regional cooperation in Afghanistan took place within the scope of the conference: A Presentation of the Capacities of Almaty as a Regional Hub of Multilateral Diplomacy Held by the Akim of the City Ahmetzhan Yesimov; a workshop of experts of the involved authorities of the participants of the Istanbul process with the presentation of capabilities of Kazakhstan as a transit corridor; an exhibition of goods and products of Kazakhstan for export to Afghanistan.

    According to the Declaration adopted on the results of the forum, the next Conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Istanbul Process on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held in the People’s Republic of China in 2014.

  • Taliban captives ‘well looked after’ in Afghanistan’s Logar

    Taliban captives ‘well looked after’ in Afghanistan’s Logar

    A group of foreigners abducted on Monday by militants in eastern Afghanistan are being “well looked after”, officials and the Taliban say.

    _67152740_afghan_logar_july10Up to 11 people, thought to include eight Turks, two Russians and an Afghan were taken in Logar province after their helicopter landed in bad weather.

    Tribal elders who saw the captives said that they were being fed and looked after, local officials told the BBC.

    The Taliban also told the BBC the captives were in good condition.

    Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group were very tired and that “we could not talk to them a lot”.

    “If they need any doctors for check up or other health related issues, we have good doctors and medical workers,” he said.

    He added that Taliban leaders had yet to make a decision about their fate and denied reports that local officials or tribal elders had made contact in an effort to negotiate their release.

    But officials in Logar earlier told the BBC that elders had seen the hostages. They added that the Taliban had made no demands so far, adding that they were concerned that the insurgents’ might want to take the group across the border into Pakistan.

    Forced landing

    The company responsible for the missing helicopter, Khorasan, said the aircraft was forced down in bad weather on Sunday evening while flying to Kabul from Khost, which is to the south-east of the capital.

    Azra, the restive district where the helicopter made the forced landing, is close to the Pakistani border and local officials say that while there are some Afghan government forces there, the Taliban and other insurgents have a strong presence.

    It said there were 10 people on board: one was an Afghan, two were Russian pilots, and the other seven were Turkish construction workers.

    But Turkey’s foreign ministry later said that eight Turks were on board the aircraft.

    The BBC’s David Loyn in Kabul reports that on any day there are an average of 100 civilian helicopter flights across Afghanistan.

    They are a vital link for remote bases, carrying workers and supplies and are mostly contracted from Russian companies, our correspondent adds.

    Turkey has around 1,800 soldiers serving with Nato forces in Afghanistan, but their mission is confined to patrols and Turkey has long had a close relationship with Kabul.

    Several Turkish engineers have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in recent years, with some held for up to two years.

    Numerous Western, Pakistani and Afghan hostages are being held in Afghanistan including US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 25, who has been a prisoner for nearly four years.

    via BBC News – Taliban captives ‘well looked after’ in Afghanistan’s Logar.

  • U.S. Embassy in Ankara, synagogue in Istanbul alleged al-Qaida targets

    U.S. Embassy in Ankara, synagogue in Istanbul alleged al-Qaida targets

    ISTANBUL, Turkey, April 12 (UPI) — The U.S. Embassy in Ankara was targeted to be bombed by an alleged Turkish al-Qaida cell whose members were trained in Afghanistan, Turkish police said.

    Police seized nearly 50 pounds of plastic explosives with detonation systems attached, along with 10 rifles and guns, six laptop computers and other evidence, police said.

    Twelve people — two Chechens, two Azerbaijanis and eight Turks — were arrested in two raids, police said.

    The raids — which occurred in February but were only now reported — occurred in the northwestern city of Tekirdag and Istanbul, police said.

    All 12 people were believed to be members of al-Qaida terrorist cells, the Dogan News Agency said.

    The U.S. Embassy issued a travel warning at the time but said police had provided no specific threat information about the targets.

    It had no immediate comment Friday.

    The U.S. Embassy was the target of a suicide bomb attack in February that killed a Turkish security guard and severely injured a local resident. But that attack was attributed to an extreme left-wing organization, not Islamic militants.

    The arrested alleged attackers also planned to bomb an Istanbul synagogue and the private Rahmi M. Koc Museum, police said. They additionally intended to attack Turkish TV personality-actor Acun Ilicali and author Adnan Oktar, also known as Harun Yahya, an Islamic creationist who speaks against evolution, the news agency said.

    via U.S. Embassy in Ankara, synagogue in Istanbul alleged al-Qaida targets – UPI.com.

  • Turkey to invest in Afghan energy

    Turkey to invest in Afghan energy

    Mr Taner Yildiz Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources as saying that Afghanistan had great resources for production of electricity and announced plans to invest in Afghan energy industry.

    TPAO, a Turkish petroleum corporation, won the tender for oil extraction at the Mazar i Sharif Province of Afghanistan and will invest about USD 100 million. Turkish companies won the tender for gold mining in Afghanistan.

    Source – Vestnikkavkaza.net

    via Turkey to invest in Afghan energy – 304759 – 2013-03-09.