Turkey striving to gain foothold in Afghanistan

Mohamed Abdelghaffar

Since taking office, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has set his eyes on reviving what is known as the ‘Turkish Caliphate’.

He has taken advantage of the turmoil in the countries of the region to find for his regime a foothold in them. He did this in Syria, Iraq and other regional states.

The Turkish ruling Justice and Development regime did not rely on military force to fulfill its expansionist dreams. It rather resorted to cultural and social control, and the cultivation of media and intellectual arms in these countries.

Afghanistan was not far away from the sights of the Erdogan regime. The Turkish president sought to present himself as a possible alternative to the international community in Kabul.

TİKA and Afghanistan

Erdogan relied on cultural and social infiltration, especially in Afghanistan. He utilized the services of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, which is widely known as TİKA. The agency is Erdogan’s most prominent arm outside Turkish borders.

Established in January 1992, TİKA provides aid and coordinates relations between Ankara and Central Asian countries.

When the Justice and Development Party won the presidential elections in 2002, it altered the activities of the agency. The party expanded TİKA’s outreach beyond Asia.

Afghanistan was central to the strategies of the agency. It worked to exploit the economic and social crises befalling Afghan cities as a result of the conflict between the Taliban and the United States in increasing its role in the country.

According to a statement by the agency on July 29, 2021, TİKA provided food aid to 1,500 needy families in several cities in northern Afghanistan.

The agency pointed out that this aid is part of its ongoing solidarity with the Afghan people.

TİKA has also established a project to provide aid to children and orphans.

During the Islamic minor feast, the agency presented gifts to 350 orphans in the Afghan provinces of Balkh and Badakhshan.

It indicated that this celebration was attended by the Turkish consul general in Mazar-i Sharif along with a host of local officials.