Turkey to withdraw more troops from Iraq, citing ‘miscommunication’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Turkey has announced that it will withdraw more of its soldiers from Northern Iraq as Baghdad continues to denounce their deployment.
According to the BBC Turkey’s foreign ministry has claimed a “miscommunication” with Baghdad was responsible for the deployment.
“Turkey reiterates its support for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and acknowledges the miscommunication with the government of Iraq over the recent deployments of Turkish protection forces to support training activities for Iraqi forces in their campaign against Daesh [ISIS] in northern Iraq,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement read.
Turkey sent an estimated 150 soldiers into Iraq’s Bashik Camp in Nineveh Province earlier this month to provide security to that base where Turkish advisors were training an armed anti-ISIS Sunni group and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
Baghdad condemned it as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and consequently demanded those forces withdraw immediately.
“Turkey, in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the requirements of the fight against Daesh [ISIS], is continuing to move military forces from Nineveh province that were the source of the miscommunication,” the statement added.
Ankara did not say to how many troops it is planning to withdraw.
According to the BBC Turkey’s foreign ministry has claimed a “miscommunication” with Baghdad was responsible for the deployment.
“Turkey reiterates its support for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and acknowledges the miscommunication with the government of Iraq over the recent deployments of Turkish protection forces to support training activities for Iraqi forces in their campaign against Daesh [ISIS] in northern Iraq,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement read.
Turkey sent an estimated 150 soldiers into Iraq’s Bashik Camp in Nineveh Province earlier this month to provide security to that base where Turkish advisors were training an armed anti-ISIS Sunni group and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
Baghdad condemned it as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and consequently demanded those forces withdraw immediately.
“Turkey, in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the requirements of the fight against Daesh [ISIS], is continuing to move military forces from Nineveh province that were the source of the miscommunication,” the statement added.
Ankara did not say to how many troops it is planning to withdraw.