After U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Turkey may maintain military presence

Recent last-minute manoeuvres by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration have brought Ankara to the fore in efforts to secure a more stable future for the war-torn country, the report noted.

A U.S.-backed peace conference in Istanbul was scheduled for last month, however it was postponed. Turkey may take a leading role in talks which may be relaunched post-Ramadan.

“We thought that it would be beneficial to postpone it … We consulted Qatar, the US and the UN and decided to hold it after the Ramadan and Eid festivities,” said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, adding there is “no need to hurry “after the recent decision by the US to withdraw its troops.

Yet, as fighting escalates on the ground in Afghanistan – and aid agencies warn of a looming humanitarian crisis – there seem little grounds for optimism for either the conference or for Turkey’s diplomatic intervention, Asia Times said.