KABUL - Some NATO leaders have approached the Qatari government to seek training bases for Afghan forces after withdrawal from Afghanistan, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Security officials under NATO command have approached Qatar to secure a base that can be used to train Afghan special forces as part of a strategic commitment after foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan, three senior Western officials said.
“We are holding talks to earmark a base in Qatar to create an exclusive training ground for senior members of the Afghan forces,” said a senior Western security official in Kabul.
The official, whose country is part of the US-led NATO alliance in Afghanistan, requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with journalists.
An integral part of Resolute Support has been to train and equip Afghan security forces fighting the Taliban, who were ousted from power in 2001 and have since waged an insurgency.
“We have made an offer but it is for authorities in Qatar to decide if they are comfortable with NATO using their territory as a training ground,” said a second security source based in Washington DC.
A third source, a diplomat based in Kabul, said bringing “Afghan special force members to Qatar for about four to six weeks of rigorous training” was under discussion.
Qatar’s government and NATO’s communications office did not respond to questions about the proposal to use the Gulf state as a base for training Afghan forces.
Earlier this month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was “looking into how we can provide out-of-country training for the Afghan Security Forces, especially the Special Operations Forces”.
Qatar, an energy-rich Gulf state, has been home to the Taliban’s political office since 2013. In recent years, this has been the only known venue where authorised representatives of the hardline insurgent group have held talks with US officials, representatives of NATO, international rights groups and Afghan government officials.
Two sources said the United States, Britain and Turkey were among the NATO countries ready to send a force to train Afghans in Qatar. (Pajhwok)