Hungary to help stop a dangerous terrorist group?

Hungary might be the needed help to stop one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organisations.

In April, US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of presence in the country. The American soldiers are set to leave before September, however, it seems like it might happen even earlier, on the course of this month.

NATO troops were aiding the Afghan government since 2001 in its fight against the radical Islamist Taliban. After this decision, it seems that the terrorist group has gained some new motivation. According to some sources, almost one-third of Afghanistan’s certain territories is under the rule of the Taliban. If they gain more power, that would result in big chaos once again, not only in the country.

Turkey, for instance, could suffer the consequences. Afghanistan’s destabilisation could endanger Turkey’s safety, as well. In order to avoid this and to show a positive gesture towards the United States,

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently expressed his willingness to start a new mission in the torn-apart country

to protect the country’s most important airport in the capital of Kabul.

The Hamid Karzai International Airport is not simply the most important connecting point of Afghanistan to the rest of the world but also a military base where the Afghan Air Forces station many aircraft of high importance.

Turkey’s reaction came as a surprise but

Hungary’s involvement in the mission might be even more interesting.

It is a logical decision that Pakistan aids Turkey since their good diplomatic relations with the Taliban can be an asset when negotiating a compromise with the jihadist group.

Hungary, on the other hand, might not be the most obvious decision. Nevertheless, the country that is currently developing a stronger army might just be the solution to maintaining a kind of security situation.

The country can have several reasons to involve itself in such a mission. First, as PM

Viktor Orbán is trying to build the country’s image of a trustworthy strategical partner among NATO members,

this decision can be regarded as a positive move inside the organisation.

Orbán: Hungary aims to develop a strong and modern army

Furthermore, the Hungarian government seeks to strengthen its military cooperation with Turkey. And last, but certainly not least, Hungary is situated right on the path of migrants leaving Middle Eastern countries full of armed conflicts, writes infostart.hu. If the situation in Afghanistan gets out of hand once again, Hungary can quickly find itself under enormous pressure of crowds fleeing their country.

The official reason for Hungary’s involvement is the fact that

Many Hungarian soldiers stationed in Afghanistan’s capital between 2010 and 2013, complying with their duty to maintain the safety of the premises.

“Hungarian soldiers know perfectly the weak areas of the airport’s safety system and the local area”, quotes portfolio.hu the words of the Turkish Defence Ministry.

However, for now, it is less than certain that this cooperation between Hungary and Turkey will be born.

The Biden Administration needs to give the green light to the mission

since a complete NATO withdrawal does not mean that other troops would stay in the country, even though initially the involvement of the States was the centre of the issue. Saying yes to Turkey, Pakistan, and Hungary can lead to an aggressive reaction from the Taliban, as it is not the deal they expected to have.
Nevertheless, after the exit of the United States, it would be an immense success to reach an agreement and a compromise with the Taliban, that would avoid utter chaos in Afghanistan. Especially if Hungary would have any involvement in the process.

Source: portfolio.hu, infostart.hu