A delegation of Afghanistan's interim government formed by the radical Taliban (banned in Russia) will visit Turkey in the coming week to discuss the conditions of stay and return of Afghan refugees, Frontier Post reported on Tuesday, citing the Deputy Minister of Refugees and Repatriation in the Taliban government Mohammad Arsala Kharoti.
He said the decision to send a delegation was made due to Afghan authorities' dissatisfaction with the outcome of negotiations with Turkish partners regarding the situation of Afghan refugees and their return to Kabul. "We expect our delegation to hold a thorough discussion on the repatriation of refugees, the problems and challenges facing them," the deputy minister said.
According to the publication, the number of Afghan refugees in Turkey is not fully known, but the Taliban estimate that there are about 120 thousand people on its territory. In addition, over the past seven months, Ankara has deported about 40,000 refugees to Kabul.
The radical Taliban movement launched a large-scale operation to gain control of Afghanistan after the US announced in the spring of 2021 the decision to withdraw its armed forces from there. On August 15 last year, radicals entered Kabul without a fight and on September 7 announced the composition of the provisional government, whose legitimacy has not yet been recognized by any country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS