Turkey: Negotiating With the Taliban
14th September 2021
Afghan refugee resettlement is a major domestic political issue in Turkey. Economic stress from hosting Syrian refugees is a major reason. Afghan refugees would bring more violence, from cultural differences and the threat of Islamic terrorists using refugee status as a cover. Turkey currently assists over four million refugees. An estimated 3.7 million are Syrian refugees. Over 200,000 Afghans are living in Turkey. Many of them have been in Turkey since mid-2011. A recent UN report noted over 500,000 Syrian school children attend Turkish schools. Some smaller Turkish provinces are particularly strained. In the south, on the Syrian border, Kilis province has a population of 140,000 Turks and it provides refuge for 105,000 Syrians. Fear of Islamic terrorism is another reason Turks are concerned about an Afghan refugee influx. Al Qaeda and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) have launched attacks within Turkey. There is worry that terrorists in the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) separatist movement might ally with “sleeper cell” Afghan militants mixing with Afghan refugees. Domestic political angle by opponents of president Erdogan and his strong presidency suspect a domestic political angle. Erdogan might try to give the refugees a quick pathway to citizenship, with the object of creating new pro-Erdogan voters. (Austin Bay)