Taliban Threaten Turkish Troops with ‘Jihad’ if They Stay in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - The Taliban warned Tuesday that if Turkey extends its military presence in Afghanistan the Islamist group will view Turkish troops as “occupiers” and wage “jihad” against them.

The warning came amid fresh battlefield moves that critics say show the Taliban are planning a military takeover of Afghanistan in defiance of their peace pledges, raising the prospects of a full-blown civil war. The United States has asked Turkey to secure Kabul’s airport after all American and NATO allied troops withdraw from the country by the end of next month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday without elaborating that he had agreed with Washington on the "scope" of how to secure and manage the airport.