Page "Turkish Armed Forces" Paragraph 11

After the 2003 Istanbul Bombings were linked to Al-Qaeda, Turkey deployed troops to Afghanistan to fight Taliban forces and Al-Qaeda operatives, with the hopes of dismantling both groups.

Turkey's responsibilities include providing security in Kabul ( it currently leads Regional Command Capital ), as well as in Wardak Province, where it leads PRT Maidan Shahr.

Turkey was once the third largest contingent within the International Security Assistance Force.

Turkey's troops are not engaged in combat operations and Ankara has long resisted pressure from Washington to offer more combat troops.

According to the Washington Post, in December 2009, after US President Barack Obama announced he would deploy 30, 000 more U. S. soldiers, and that Washington wants others to follow suit, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted with the message that Turkey would not contribute additional troops to Afghanistan.

" Turkey has already done what it can do by boosting its contingent of soldiers there to 1, 750 from around 700 without being asked ", said Erdoğan, who stressed that Turkey would continue its training of Afghan security forces.