Turkey insists the forces were deployed to protect trainers working with Iraqi forces at the site, but Baghdad has repeatedly demanded their withdrawal and complained to the UN Security Council.
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No country should “send its soldiers to the territory of another state under the pretext of supporting it in fighting terrorism without the conclusion of an agreement… between the governments of the two countries”, Sistani said.
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.
We of course have suggested that one explanation for Turkeys deployment is that Erdogan is keen on having an expanded military presence in northern Iraq now that some rather inconvenient questions are being asked about his familys role in facilitating the flow of illicit ISIS crude from oil fields in Iraq and Syria to Ceyhan.
Davutoglu told Biden Turkey respected Iraq’s terroritorial integrity and was ready to contribute to its fight against the IS in coordination with Baghdad, according to the sources.
In Baghdad, Reuters reporters saw angry protesters trample on the Turkish flag and hit a caricature of Erdoğan with slippers in a mark of disrespect.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi already appealed to the Security Council during a televised speech earlier Friday.
“This is a flagrant violation of the provisions and principles of the UN Charter and in violation of the sanctity of Iraqi territory”, a statement from his office said.
AP reported that Turkey has since stopped the deployment of more troops, but has not removed its forces from Iraq yet.
Turkey this week urged its citizens to leave all areas of Iraq excluding Iraqi Kurdistan, due to increased security risks.
The Iraqi Ministry of foreign Affairs announced that it had officially submitted the complaint to the UN International Security Council. The country’s internal divisions are not only hampering the country’s fight against the Islamic State group, they’re also encouraging other powers to bypass the central government, he said.
Al-Hakim made clear that bilateral diplomacy had so far failed to end the dispute between the neighbors.
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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.
