Will Iraq boycott Turkey?
As tension escalates between Iraq and Turkey regarding the battle to rid Mosul of the Islamic State, Iraqi politicians call for boycotting Turkish products.
BAGHDAD — As Turkey continues to thumb its nose at Iraq, thousands of Iraqi Sadrist protesters surrounded the Turkish Embassy on Oct. 18 in Baghdad and demanded that Ankara remove its troops from the Bashiqa base near Mosul. Meanwhile, Iraq's parliament is mulling the effectiveness of a potential economic boycott against Turkey.
Parliament member Ali Abd al-Salman told the media Oct. 12 that an economic boycott is necessary "to force Turkey to withdraw its troops.”
However, things have escalated beyond mere calls for a boycott. Rahim al-Darraji, a parliament member representing Al-Mouwaten bloc, called for “burning Turkish goods in the streets."
And some Iraqis seem to be taking serious steps toward waging economic war on Turkey.
