Baghdad to Rethink Allowing
Turkish Military Bases in Iraq

The parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee said that there are 16 Turkish military bases on Iraqi territory along the border with Turkey.

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Summary : Turkey’s authorization of foreign military intervention in response to Syrian shelling last week has reopened debate in Iraq, where the government has allowed Turkey to operate military bases in its territory close to Kurdish regions for decades. Shayma Adel reports that Turkey currently maintains 16 military bases on Iraqi soil. Publisher: Azzaman (Iraq) Original Title: 16 Turkish Military Bases Inside Iraq Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Finds Strange the Government’s Silence On the Sovereignty Violations Author: Shayma Adel First Published: October 8, 2012 Posted on: October 8 2012 Translated by: Joelle El-Khoury Categories : Turkey   Iraq   Security

Committee member Mahdi al-Musawi told Azzaman yesterday [Oct. 6]: “Committee member Safia al-Suhail — in the presence of officials from both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and from the central government [in Baghdad] — said that 16 Turkish military bases exist on Iraqi territory. No one denied these claims.”

Suhail explained that “the committee is implementing several measures to deal with this issue. These include communicating with the KRG to review and re-examine the agreements that the former regime had previously signed with Turkey regarding Turkey’s presence inside Iraqi territory.

“These measures also involve discussions with senior military and armed-forces leaders to find out why the KRG is silent regarding the presence of these camps.” 

Musawi explained that “northern areas are constantly subjected to Turkish attacks,” adding that “such behavior is not new, as we have seen these problems for a long time. The central government was engaged in a dialogue with the KRG and expressed its readiness to mobilize the army to these areas in order to protect them from attacks. However, the KRG has some reservations.” 

Suhail noted that the committee “will keep communicating with the foreign ministry and the relevant officials,” adding that next week, it "will see intensive steps aimed at resolving the problem of Turkish military incursions.” 

Musawi said, “The KRG did not deny the presence of these forces. Moreover, some non-governmental officials and figures from civil-society groups said that the KRG is familiar with these military camps on the border, and that this is why the KRG is not taking any action against them.”