NATO launches training of Afghan soldiers in Turkey

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday launched a training programme in Turkey for Afghan military personnel.

This is the first time when Afghan soldiers are being trained outside their country after the end of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan, Pajhwok News reported.

NATO's continued support to Afghanistan includes out-of-country training for Afghan Special Forces. This training has now begun. For security reasons, we will not go into the details of our out-of-country training for Afghan special forces," NATO informed.

According to information from Ankara, members of the Afghan Special Forces were flown to Turkey on Wednesday for a training course. It is supposed to be the prelude to regular training programs outside Afghanistan.

A NATO spokesperson in Brussels confirmed the start of the training program to dpa but would not comment on the location or details for security reasons.

"In addition to continued funding and diplomatic presence, NATO's continued support to Afghanistan includes out-of-country training for Afghan special forces. This training has now begun," he said.

The basis of the continued NATO support for the Afghan government's troops is a decision by the heads of state and government of the 30 alliance countries.

They had assured the country at their summit meeting in June that they would continue to provide assistance even after the end of the military mission.

"We affirm our commitment to continue to stand with Afghanistan, its people, and its institutions in promoting security and upholding the hard-won gains of the last 20 years," the final declaration said.

During the summit, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had said that some NATO allies, including Turkey and the United States, are in an ongoing dialogue over the situation in Afghanistan.

The issue of Afghanistan was one of the main topics to be discussed at the NATO summit. Under the February 2020 deal secured with the Taliban under former President Donald Trump, all U.S. forces were to leave Afghanistan by May 1 but Biden in April postponed the pullout to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, the al-Qaida attacks on the U.S. that prompted the U.S.-led invasion and ouster of the Taliban government that sheltered the group.

With violence raging, many U.S. lawmakers and current and former officials fear that the departure of the foreign forces and stalled peace talks are pushing Afghanistan into an all-out civil war that could return the Taliban to power. The Pentagon says the U.S. withdrawal is nearly complete. Turkey, with more than 500 soldiers still in Afghanistan training security forces, now has the largest foreign military contingent there.

Turkey, whose forces in Afghanistan have always comprised of noncombatant troops, has offered to guard and run Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport after the NATO troops’ withdrawal. Ankara has been holding talks with Washington on logistic and financial support for the mission, as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport.

Turkey's potential role in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the planned U.S. pullout could serve as an area of cooperation. The airport plan may offer a rare opportunity to build goodwill and trust and could help improve ties between Ankara and the West

Meanwhile, human rights violations have been increasing in Afghanistan at a time when the withdrawal of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces from the war-torn country are about to be completed.

Over the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

The UN has also reiterated that both the parties in Afghanistan are obliged to respect the human rights and dignity of all Afghans, especially those of women and girls who have in the past been subjected to particularly acute forms of discrimination.

The Taliban now control about half of the 419 district centres in Afghanistan, and while they have yet to capture any of the country's 34 provincial capitals, said General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As the Taliban seize more territory, the Afghan security forces are consolidating their positions to protect key population centres, including Kabul, he said