Iraqi Kurds step into Ankara-Baghdad row
Iraq has called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from its soil.
The deepening row between Turkey and Iraq took a further turn as Baghdad requested an emergency session of the UN Security Council to review what it considers the illegal presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, while a top Turkish official claimed the soldiers were there at the request of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Speaking at a public ceremony, Turkish government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said, “With regard to Bashiqa, it is clear from the very beginning that the [President Massoud] Barzani administration wanted the support of Turkish forces to train local forces to liberate Mosul. We will not allow this to be a matter of debate.”
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim joined in the salvoes, asserting, “Iraq’s obsession with the Turkish military presence is malicious. The Turkish presence there will continue.”
The KRG, however, has stopped short of confirming Turkey’s claims that Turkish troops had been deployed at its request and instead threw the ball into Baghdad’s court.
