Ankara, 20 August 2021 (Anadolu News)

Turkey is ready to hold talks with the Taliban if necessary, the country’s president said on Friday.

“If there is a knock on our door, we will open it for dialogue,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul. He criticized the Western world and Islamic states for their lack of interest and care for Afghanistan over the past two decades.

Turkey has been putting in the necessary effort for Afghanistan’s development and will continue to do so, the president asserted.

On the wave of migration from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, Erdogan said Turkey is also hosting some 300,000 undocumented Afghan migrants.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan after taking Kabul on Aug. 15, forcing the president and other top officials to leave the country. The unexpected power grab has triggered a rush to flee Afghanistan, including civilians who assisted foreign soldiers or groups and now fear Taliban retribution.

Five Turkish healthcare workers who found themselves stranded in the Afghan capital Kabul this week were rescued by Turkish security forces after they appealed for help online.

The healthcare workers – including two women – came to Afghanistan a few weeks ago to work in a hair transplant clinic but after Sunday’s Taliban takeover, issued a call for help in a video they posted on social media.

Responding to the call, Turkish security forces safely brought the workers to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport for evacuation.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Aleyna Tiki, one of the workers who sought help, thanked the Turkish security forces, including the police special operations team, for their timely rescue.

“Our Turkish soldiers and police special operations team gave us a lot of support here, Our government didn’t abandon us here. They immediately contacted us to help out,” she added.