Turkish deployment of special forces in Afghanistan has political goals too

By SELCAN HACAOGLU
Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey hopes its deployment of special forces to work with U.S. troops and anti-Taliban fighters will ensure it a stronger role in postwar Afghanistan, where Ankara would like to see its influence increase.

Turkey argues that its Muslim identity and historical ties to several ethnic Afghan groups, including the majority Pashtuns that provide the Taliban their base, could be important in the establishment of any broad-based government to replace Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime.

But many argue that Turkish leverage in Afghanistan is, at best, nominal.

"(Turkey) ... has never been strongly involved in Afghanistan," said Azizulla Ghazi, a political analyst with International Crisis Group's Central Asia project, by telephone from Osh, Kyrgyzstan. "Its only advantage is that it has not been involved in recent turmoil and discredit itself."

Turkey has, however, maintained close ties to ethnic Uzbek Gen. Rashid Dostum, a prominent figure in the opposition forces battling the Taliban, known as the northern alliance.

Thursday's decision to send a 90-member special forces unit is seen as an effort to strengthen relations with Afghanistan and buttress U.S. efforts to build an alternative government in the Central Asian nation.

It also reflects Turkey's desire to be part of the Western world. NATO's only Muslim member, Turkey has a long-standing application to join the European Union. If some day accepted, Turkey would become the first Muslim nation to join the bloc.

However, building bridges with the West could destroy ties with Islamic countries who are already irritated by Turkey's secular regime.

Turkey's decision to join the U.S. effort also faces a shaky reaction at home. Polls show around 80 percent of Turks do not want their soldiers to go to Afghanistan, and Turkish media on Friday predicted a wider role for Turkish troops than training opposition forces and supporting humanitarian efforts – the action Turkey's government has focused on.

"Our mission is danger," daily Milliyet headlined Friday.

Daily Hurriyet reported that the government had agreed to requests from Turkey's military for a broad mission definition, to avoid tying Turkey's hands in the event of an unforeseen emergency.

Regardless, the decision boosted the country's financial markets Friday on hopes of a reward of new international loans. Since Thursday, Turkey's lira has gained some 2.5 percent against the dollar. Shares on Istanbul's benchmark index were up nearly 4 percent at around 10,030 points by mid-afternoon Friday.

"We feel that the Americans should build inroads into the hearts of the people of Afghanistan through the Turks," wrote Ilnur Cevik, editor-in-chief of Turkish Daily News on Thursday. "The bombs should be followed by a massive campaign to build Afghanistan and this is where the Turks and Americans should join forces. Pakistan must also be included in this equation."

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit of Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country, said Thursday that the fundamentalist Taliban, whose "archaic regime poses a threat to ... Turkey and the whole world," must be unseated.

Turkey would become the only Muslim country to join the U.S.-led military campaign against Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and Osama bin Laden, the suspected organizer of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

AP-WS-11-02-01 1044EST