Turkey has halted deploying troops to northern Iraq but will not obey Iraq’s request to withdraw those already there, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, insisting Iraq knew the went to help fight Islamic State.
Advertisement
Kurtulmus said that the training had been going on for a long time in that part of Iraq, adding that Turkey had been working with the country’s central government from the beginning.
UNITED NATIONS Iraq’s ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday appeared to play down a dispute between Baghdad and Ankara over the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, saying bilateral talks between the neighboring states to end the row were proceeding favorably.
Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraqi Kurdistan, welcomed the arrival of Turkish troops, traveling to Ankara Wednesday for a two-day meeting with Turkish officials.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Wednesday the soldiers were dispatched to Iraq after increased threats from ISIL militants to Turkish military trainers in the area and said the deployment was an act of solidarity, not aggression.
Turkey, whose government strongly rejects the idea of a Kurdish state made out of now Turkish land, has returned the favor by boosting Erbil’s trade, in particular buying Kurdish oil.
An earlier statement by Iraq’s Council of Ministers, headed by Abadi, said “Iraq’s sovereignty and its geographical borders are a red line particularly since there exists no signed agreement between Iraq nor any accord permitting Turkey to trespass the country’s borders under any pretext”.
The area north of Mosul where the Turkish troops are stationed is under the control of Kurdish forces and Shi’ite militia have no presence there, which would make it hard for them to follow through on the threats.
“We’re solving it between Baghdad and Ankara bilaterally”, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Iraqi ambassador, said after Russian Federation raised the issue of Turkey’s deployment during a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.
“Come on! They sent a letter to the Security Council”.
Advertisement
A group using the same name previously claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 18 Turkish workers in Iraq. As Iraq struggles to push out ISIS, it has been caught in a tug of war between Iran, which exerts great influence over the Shiite-led government and provides crucial support to its ground forces, and the U.S.-led coalition, which is providing vital air support.
