Turkish defense chief joins NATO meeting on Afghanistan

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) –Turkey’s national defense minister on Wednesday virtually attended a NATO-led meeting on Afghanistan, a country whose struggle for peace and stability Turkey has long supported.

Hulusi Akar joined the meeting, held as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, to discuss the latest military developments in Afghanistan, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

The meeting was attended by countries that send troops to northern parts of Afghanistan, which falls under Germany’s responsibility area.

On Dec. 16, 2020, the Turkish parliament approved extending the deployment of Turkish troops in Afghanistan for 18 months as part of NATO's support mission in the war-torn country.

In January 2019, legislation was put into effect allowing the Turkish government to send troops to Afghanistan to support the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.

After the end of a 17-year combat mission in Afghanistan in 2018, it evolved into a training and advising initiative of the nascent Afghan security forces.

Around 12,000 foreign troops from 28 NATO allies and 14 other partner nations agreed to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

The legislation, first passed in 2015, gives the government authority to permit foreign army personnel to be transported to and from Afghanistan through Turkey.