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Terrorist State of Turkey PM Yildirim Says Troops Will Stay in Iraq, despite Baghdad’s objections,

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turkey-will-not-leave#Turkish invasion occupying territories of neighboring countries Update, Northern #Syria, Northern #Iraq Northern #Cyprus Western #Armenia #Kurdistan Eastern #Greece #Bulgaria

Turkish troops will remain in the camp in the northern Iraqi town of Bashiqa despite Baghdad’s objections, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution voicing protest against Turkish military presence in Bashiqa, located about 19 miles northeast of Mosul. The lawmakers demand its government to take the necessary legal and diplomatic measures, including a review of the economic relations between the two countries. Ankara has condemned the resolution.

“There are soldiers from 63 countries in Iraq. Claims toward Turkey about its military presence there are an unfriendly step. Turkey will maintain its presence in Iraq,” Yildirim said at a meeting with businesspersons in Ankara. Turkey’s deployment of troops and tanks to reportedly to help national forces reclaim the city of Mosul from Daesh jihadists on December 4, 2015, has caused a rift with Iraq.

 

Iraq summons Turkey ambassador over military presence

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turkey-n-iraqBAGHDAD,— Iraq’s foreign ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad to protest what it said were “provocative” comments made in Ankara about keeping Turkish troops in northern Iraq, a ministry spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Turkish parliament decided last week to extend a mandate that allows military operations against militant organizations in Iraq and Syria for another year.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned Turkey that keeping troops in northern Iraq could lead to a “regional war,” according to comments broadcast on state TV on Wednesday.

Turkey says it deployed troops at a base in northern Iraq late last year as part of an international mission to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight against Islamic State, which controls a swathe of territory south of the border region, around the city of Mosul, and also in neighboring Syria.

The Iraqi government says it never invited such a force and considers the Turkish troops occupiers.

There are 800 Turkish troops deployed in the Mosul and Shaqlawa regions, the move that sparked a crisis between Ankara and Baghdad. Turkey sent a contingent of an additional 150 forces and 25 tanks in December 2015 to bolster its military presence in the Bashiqa camp, an area that has seen recent fighting.

Iraqi leaders said in December 2015 that hundreds of Turkish troops had arrived without their knowledge or approval, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.

The Turkish troops are still present in Nineveh province, based at Camp Bashiq, 70 kilometres west of Iraqi Kurdistan capital of Erbil.

Iraqi parliament rejects ‘occupying’ Turkish military mandate in N.Iraq

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occupation-of-n-iraqA Turkish military base in Bashiqa near the Iraqi city of Mosul. Photo: Rudaw

Baghdad, Iraq—The Iraqi parliament, in a majority vote, has rejected an extension of the mandate of Turkish troops in Iraq and called for a review of relations with Turkey.

The lawmakers also asked for the government of Iraq to file a complaint against Turkey at the United Nations and the UN Security Council. They want the government to formally describe Turkish troops as an “occupying” force.

In addition, the parliament demanded the Turkish ambassador be summoned to receive a letter critical of Turkey’s presence in Iraq.

In Iraq’s northern Nineveh Province, Turkey deployed military advisors to train Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Sunni Hashd al-Watani militia to fight ISIS in that province last year. Baghdad has been demanding Turkish forces withdraw since last December when Turkey sent additional military forces to protect its base in Bashiqa, near Mosul, from ISIS attacks, without the explicit authorization of the Iraqi government.

On Saturday, the Turkish parliament voted to extend the army’s military mandates in both Iraq and Syria, where Turkish forces are trying to establish a 5,000 square kilometre safe zone along its border.