Turkey answers U.S. request for more troops: No
Monday, December 7, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
ANKARA Ñ Turkey has rejected a U.S. request to send additional troops to Afghanistan.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said he decided that Ankara would not augment its contingent in the NATO stabilization campaign in Afghanistan. Erdogan, who left for a summit in Washington, said Turkey could not afford to deploy additional troops.
"Turkey has already done what it can do by boosting its contingent of soldiers there to 1,750 from around 700 without being asked," Erdogan said.
The U.S. request to Turkey was relayed on Dec. 3, hours after President Barack Obama announced the deployment of another 30,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Later, Obama asked NATO allies to contribute at least another 10,000 soldiers.
Turkey, with the second largest military in NATO, has refused to perform combat duties in Afghanistan. Some of the Turkish troops, however, participate in patrols of the Afghan capital of Kabul.
"For the moment, we have done what we had to do [in Afghanistan]," Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul on Dec. 6. "Our contingent of soldiers is at a useful number. If you ask what we can do beyond that, we can provide training there for the Afghan security forces, which so far we've been doing in our country."
On Dec. 6, Erdogan said Turkey has invested $150 million in education, health and infrastructure in Afghanistan. He said Ankara would contribute another $50 million amid the NATO surge.
"Our armed forces that have assumed command for the third time are in a position to preserve and continue the association and tolerance between themselves and the Afghan people," Erdogan said. "In order to achieve this, we will keep the promises we have made."