ANKARA - The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the United States had not asked Turkey to send additional troops to Afghanistan.
Issuing a statement on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan recalled that NATO had taken over the command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, adding that there was a need for more soldiers within ISAF structure.
Tan said that the Afghan administration had requested NATO's assistance to temporarily contribute to providing security during period of election that was planned to be held in September of 2004 and all NATO allied countries would assess what kind of contribution could be extended in addition to ISAF.
Noting that in addition to its current contribution to ISAF, Turkey had declared intention to form a regional reconstruction unit, Tan said that necessary studies on the issue were under way within the NATO structure.
Planning studies on handing over ISAF headquarters in coming period to rapid deployment force headquarters assigned by the NATO had been carried out also within the NATO, including the Third Army Corps Headquarters in Istanbul, Tan said and added that planning studies at the NATO had not been concluded yet and any decision had not been made.
(MS) 21.05.2004