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Turkey’s joint front with Sunni Arabs, Kurds

Ankara is developing a joint front with the Sunni Arabs and Kurds, and refuses to withdraw its troops from the Mosul area.
A Kurdish flag is seen as a member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces stands guard at a security point on Bashiqa mountain, overlooking Islamic State held territories of Mosul, 12 km northeast of Mosul City, March 7, 2015.  REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR4SF4S
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Although Ankara justifies its military presence in the Mosul area by claiming it is a training mission against the Islamic State (IS), the rivalry over who will have a say in the destiny of the region complicates the issue.

After Turkey sent a reinforcement unit accompanied by 25 tanks to Bashiqa camp 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Mosul, the Iraqi government demanded a withdrawal in 48 hours. Turkey, in response, announced it had suspended a second reinforcement unit but wouldn’t withdraw its troops already at the camp. Despite all the efforts to ease the tension, both sides stood firm by their positions.

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