Arab League deputy chief Ahmed Ben Heli said the Turkish troops also “increased tumult in the region”.
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Christmas Eve Forecast: Record-shattering warmth today
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in some parts of the country, but in others it feels more like a typical spring day. Green Christmas wins out this year with record-breaking temperatures making for a holiday that could get Heat Miser singing.
The foreign ministers of the Arab League condemned on December 24 a Turkish military deployment in Iraq as an “assault” on the country’s sovereignty, demanding Ankarawithdraw the forces.
Two Arrested In Latest Counter-Terror Raids In Western Sydney
A police source told the ABC that the Merrylands home of Salihy raided this morning was also raided earlier this month. Police say their investigation disrupted the terror plot.
In Cairo, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Turkey was not really withdrawing the troops, but merely redeploying them to Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region.
Turkish forces and PKK engage in intense clashes
The three-decade conflict between Turkish security forces and the PKK rebels have claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people. Turkey and Russia have been at odds since Ankara downed a Russian jet last month saying it violated its airspace.
Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil Al Arabi attended the meeting, held at the pan-Arab organisation’s headquarters.
US President Barack Obama urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to take steps “to de-escalate tensions with Iraq, including by continuing to withdraw Turkish military forces”.
“We support Iraq’s request and this reflects our great Arab solidarity with them”.
Since the start of the U.S.-led assault on the Islamic State group previous year, Turkey has had a few hundred troops stationed at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul – a city now under the control of ISIS. Turkish troops at the camp are not assigned combat duties.
Iraq recently expressed anger at Turkey’s military presence at a base in northern Iraq.
In response to protest from the Iraqi government, which said the deployment was unauthorized, Turkey announced Saturday that it had begun withdrawing troops “in accordance with the requirements of the fight against Daesh [ISIS]”.
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Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs demanded the “immediate and unconditional withdrawal” of Turkish troops from Iraq, describing the presence of Turkish troops as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
