Hamid Karzai

Afghanistan's newly appointed ambassador to Ankara on Aug. 12 said that Turkey's ongoing mission at the Hamid Karzai International Airport is in support of peace and stability.

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Speaking to a group of reporters from the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Turkey, Amir Mohammad Ramin hailed Turkey's role in Afghanistan.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is ready to operate the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul if the conditions are met by its interlocutors, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Aug. 7.

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Turkey has done its best for the safety and prosperity of the Afghan people, the minister said, speaking at a military ceremony.

The defense chiefs of Turkey and the U.S. on July 7 discussed in a phone call the latest situation in ongoing talks on ensuring the security of the airport in Afghanistan's capital after this summer's NATO pullout from the country, said Turkey's Defense Ministry.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said that he will speak over the phone with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on July 7 in line with the ongoing talks on the operation and security of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.

After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said on July 2. 

Turkish and U.S. delegations discussed areas of cooperation to run Afghanistan's Kabul airport, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on June 25. 

A technical delegation from the United States Department of Defense will visit Turkey on June 24 to discuss the activities for keeping the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan operational.

Turkey proposed to secure and manage the airport in Kabul after the NATO troops end its mission as a Resolute Support Mission.

Turkey can keep its troops in Afghanistan only if political, financial and logistic support is provided by the allies, as NATO prepares to withdraw from the country, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, daily Hürriyet reported on June 7.

Afghanistan's first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord, is returning home after more than a year of living in Turkey, a Kabul government official said on July 22.

A deadline for Afghans to register to vote in the Oct. 20 legislative elections has been extended, officials said on May 11, as figures show hundreds of civilians have already been killed or wounded in poll-related violence.