The First Lieutenant Döner Shop Owner, the Second Lieutenant Waiter

With the "Muhajir-Ansar" rhetoric, "The shop is yours," millions of refugees were filled into our country as if to say that.

"May the Lord not corrupt your direction, may He not let our efforts go to waste. Some people stand up and migrate to our country, whether from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, or Iran, it makes no difference. We are members of a culture that knows best what the ability to be a Muhajir (migrant) and an Ansar (helper) is." they commanded...

"They can return to their homelands whenever they wish, but we will never expel them from these lands, and we will not expel them... Our door is open to them, we will continue to host them, and we will not throw them into the hands or the lap of murderers... If we are performing this charity, we will continue to do so. This nation understands Zakat and Sadaqah Jariyah (ongoing charity)... We will continue to walk this path exactly as we have." they declared definitively...

The result?

While it is not even known how many refugees, primarily Syrians and Afghans, are in our country; after the damage is already done, they are now going door-to-door to check if refugees are at their registered addresses, while simultaneously seeking ways to negotiate with Assad.

THE TALIBAN ISSUED A DEATH WARRANT

No, our topic is not the refugee/migrant issue; it is the situation of the Afghan soldiers we trained at the Military Academy for 4 years.

Our state, "boasts that guest students from 22 friendly and allied countries, after one year of preparatory training, receive education and training for 4 years alongside our cadets at the Military Academy, making significant contributions to strengthening friendly relations between their countries and ours." is proud.

Frequently "where officers from three continents are trained at the Military Academy" reports are produced describing how foreign officers who speak Turkish like their native language return to Turkey in later years to work at their countries' military attachés.

Among these friendly and allied countries that send students to our country is Afghanistan—or rather, was.

After the US handed Afghanistan over to the Taliban in 2021, the new administration did not continue the Military Training Cooperation Agreement signed with Turkey in 2003.

Naturally, the fate of the students who had already come to our country became a matter of concern. Ministry of National Defense officials "There are Afghan military students who came to our country within the scope of both bilateral agreements and NATO agreements. While some of them have graduated, the training of others continues. The work initiated regarding the status of the military students whose training is ongoing is continuing." made the statement.

And that is what happened; the training of the Afghan students who arrived before the cancellation of the agreement continued at the Military Academy, and they graduated gradually.

The last 7 Afghan students receiving training under that agreement will also be commissioned as second lieutenants this August.

The normal procedure would be for the graduating second lieutenants to return to their country, right?

But that is not what happened. Once it was reported that the Taliban had issued death warrants for them and various execution videos were released, these second lieutenants could not return to Afghanistan. Furthermore, 37 officers who had graduated and returned in the past, along with their families, applied to the Turkish Attaché and expressed their desire to come to Turkey. The matter was conveyed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but while thousands of young Afghan men were flooding into our country across the Iranian border in a short time, no initiative was taken regarding these officers and their families.

“SO THE TSK IS NOT EMBARRASSED”

Returning to the situation of the 25-30 students who continued their studies in our country after the Taliban regime took power;

Four of those who graduated in 2021 were hired by an important state institution, but the others were practically left to their own fate.

While the majority went to other countries using their own means, about 10 second lieutenants remained in Turkey with residence permits they were able to obtain on their own. When their residence permits expire, they will be deported.

As a matter of fact, an Afghan whose peers are now first lieutenants, because his residence permit expired last week was taken to a repatriation center. If a solution is not found, he will be deported within one week.

We also learned that another Afghan, who remains in the country on a residence permit and whose classmates are first lieutenants, is working at a döner shop in Istanbul.

We reached a second lieutenant who graduated from the Military Academy last year at a ceremony attended by Erdoğan, but who is now working as a waiter in Istanbul. Look at what he told us:

“We explained our situation to our Regimental Commander and our School Commander. It was discussed with the Rector. They said, ‘We will handle it,’ but they didn't take it very seriously. When we graduated from the school last year, they allowed us to stay in the guesthouse for 15 days. In the meantime, we obtained residence permits, and after that, they told us to ‘Go.’ I don't think the higher authorities are aware of our situation. We are all working illegally for minimum wage. My residence permit also expires in one month. If I cannot extend it, I will be deported. Seven of our friends who will graduate this year also don't know what they will do.”

And do you know what he replied when we asked this second lieutenant to send us a photo of himself while working as a waiter? This:

“We have our officer pride; I wouldn't want my classmates to see me. I cannot tell anyone that I am an officer. Besides, the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) would also be embarrassed.”

They studied at the Military Academy for 4 years... They speak perfect Turkish... They could very well be granted citizenship and allowed to live here, or even be assigned to various institutions.

But it seems that for those who fit millions into our country, these 10-15 Afghan officers are too many!..