Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Friday addressed the nation and called for Turkish troops to withdraw from the country.
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At least six Iraqi border guards were killed on Saturday when a suicide bomber drove a truck packed with explosives into an outpost near the border with Saudi Arabia in an attack claimed by IS militant group.
Iraq is asking the U.N. Security Council to demand Turkey immediately and unconditionally pull its troops out of northern Iraq. “We have no such luxury”, Erdogan said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkish troops deployed in Iraq for training purposes in the fight against the Islamic State were not on combat mission and their pullout was “out of the question”. “We can target Turkish soldiers and coming days will prove it”.
Turkey this week urged its citizens to leave all areas of Iraq excluding Iraqi Kurdistan, due to increased security risks.
Earlier Friday, Abadi asked the Foreign Ministry to submit a complaint to the United Nations about the presence of Turkish troops near the IS-held city of Mosul.
Erdogan’s comments came a day after he met with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, who has long-standing ties with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
A statement by Abadi’s office said the incursion by Turkish troops “is blatant violation of the provisions and principles of the UN Charter and a violation to the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, which happened without the knowledge and consent of the Iraqi authorities”.
Alhakim made clear that bilateral diplomacy had failed so far to end the dispute between the two neighbours.
On December 4, the Turkish military deployed hundreds of troops as well as heavy weaponry to the camp of Bashiqa near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which has been under the control of the Takfiri Daesh terrorists since June 2014.
“There are no any other military forces from any other country except Turkey on Iraqi soil”.
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In a stamen today, an Iraqi Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman said that his county reserves its legitimate right to take all necessary measures to put an end to the Turkish violations which prejudice relations of good neighbourliness, and endanger worldwide security and peace.
