The Iraqi government has demanded Turkey to withdraw troops it has deployed at an area near the northern city of Mosul, the media reported on Saturday.
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The official said the training battalion equipped with armored vehicles is in the Bashiqa region close to Mosul. They are there as part of routine training exercises.
When the Sunni volunteer group Hashd al-Wataniya was set up after the Islamic State took over Mosul, Turkish military advisers trained the forces based at the Bashik base. Baghdad stressed the unsanctioned move was a breach of its sovereignty, RT reports.
The Iraq government has called on Turkey to “immediately” withdraw troops and artillery it has deployed on Iraqi sovereign territory without Baghdad’s consent.
According to the Reuters’ sources, the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition was aware of the Turkey’s move.
He said he was not aware of the size of the force and refused to speculate.
More than 100 Turkish troops entered Iraq’s Mosul province on Thursday, reportedly with tanks and heavy weapons.
The camp, north of Mosul, is used by a force called Hashid Watani (national mobilization), which was formed by a local Iraqi governor with close ties to Turkey.
“Our soldiers are already in Iraq”.
Anatolia news agency said the troops were backed by 20 to 25 tanks, sent by road to the Bashiqa town, citing anonymous sources. Training was already being given in that region for the last two to three years.
Peshmerga forces in Iraq have been fighting against Daesh on the ground.
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The deployment “is considered a serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty”, it added.
