On becoming the head of the armed forces two years ago, General Yasar Buyukanit said he had made it clear that Turkey will not send a single soldier to Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism.
Buyukanit said during an interview on local television that he still maintains that view.
“The Turkish Armed Forces is currently fighting against terrorism with tens of thousands of troops in another region,” he said. “I leave it up to your judgment to send Turkish troops to Afghanistan when the Turkish Armed Forces is already fighting against terrorists.”
Turkey has twice commanded the International Security and Assistance Force in Afghanistan and deployed thousands of troops in the country as part of the international contingent trying to stabilize the situation there.
However, much of its active military efforts have been directed at neutralizing the threat posed by the terrorist group the PKK, which has bases in northern Iraq from which it launches attacks against targets inside Turkey.
Last month, Turkey sent up to 10,000 troops into northern Iraq to strike at the PKK in an eight day land operation.
