The disputes between the Taliban movement and Turkey regarding the presence of Turkish troops at Kabul airport have become one of the topics of discussion in the Muslim community. How should they be understood? First of all, without illusions. There is no scenario in this story where one side represents a purely Islamic project and the other serves anti-Islamic forces. As much as the supporters of one side try to portray it otherwise, it is more a conflict of national and geopolitical interests.
We are far from demonizing the Taliban, as some Islamophobic media do. Regardless of how one views them, the Taliban have proven to be a force that anyone dealing with Afghanistan must reckon with. They represent a significant portion of the Afghan population, primarily the Pashtuns, but not only them, and their understanding of Islam has inspired them to fight for their country’s freedom from foreign invaders. And when pointing out certain actions of the Taliban that may be repulsive or outrageous, it is necessary, firstly, to remember that they are carried out in conditions of war and anarchy and, secondly, to bear in mind that we are never shown what the Taliban’s opponents are doing or what has happened under their power, in order to compare the unsightly phenomena on both sides.
On the other hand, it would be pointless to idealize the Taliban. Not only because they themselves, and with them the whole of Afghanistan, have to deal with the consequences of their policies at the turn of the last century and the beginning of this one, which led to the defeat of their state by the Americans. Yes, despite the fact that the Taliban managed to withstand and defeat the Americans in the war for Afghanistan by resorting to guerrilla warfare, the state they had was defeated and lost for twenty years, and the country paid an enormous price for this war.
However, the past cannot be changed or restored, and in any case, the Taliban have shown themselves to be a force capable of controlling a significant part of Afghanistan, which would be impossible without the support of the Afghan people. And it seems that the Taliban, having paid a heavy price for the last war, this time want to focus primarily on internal Afghan affairs and avoid anything that could lead to external intervention, the defeat of their state, and their return to guerrilla warfare.
But precisely for this reason, if this is the case, they will not act as the center of a global Islamic project, as some would like to see them, but as the national government of the Muslim Afghan people. It should be noted that the Taliban have already visited Russia and Iran, assuring their leadership that they pose no danger, and they have welcomed China’s willingness to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, declaring that they will not support the «Uighur separatists» against whom Beijing is fighting. So if it is said that Turkey can play its own game in Afghanistan as a NATO member and in cooperation with the West, it is possible, but the Taliban could become allies of China in the near future, as well as a strategically important Pakistan.
On the other hand, as a force that aspires to be the national government of all of Afghanistan, the Taliban consider themselves entitled to demand that Turkish troops leave their territory, considering them occupiers if they do not. It is important to note, however, that while the Taliban are already being actively considered as a possible new legitimate authority in Afghanistan, no one has yet officially recognized them as such. Therefore, the agreement with the current Afghan government under which Turkish troops are in Afghanistan is still in effect.
Another point related to the formation of a new Afghan government and its recognition in the world, especially by Turkey, is the consideration of the interests of the Turkic peoples and regions of Afghanistan. Not only Turkey, but also Uzbekistan is unlikely to rely on the Taliban’s general assurances that they will guarantee the security and rights of all Afghan citizens regardless of their nationality. It is more likely that a condition for the recognition of the new Afghan government by Turkey and neighboring Turkic states will be the inclusion of Turkic peoples and regions in the governance of the country and the guarantee of a certain autonomy for them. And if this is not done, there is no guarantee that Turkey, which does not recognize the Assad regime in Syria or the Haftar regime in Libya as legitimate authorities, will recognize the Taliban as such for Afghanistan.
But let us hope that both sides will have enough common sense to resolve all these issues and reach a consensus. And this will require not only Turkey to recognize the new reality, but also the Taliban to show pragmatism and that they have learned the lessons of history.
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