Skip to main content

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.
A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces guards 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) - RTR4SF1D

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.

KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee said Turkish troops had deployed to Bashiqa to train Ninevah province’s Sunni volunteer forces with the “knowledge” and “consent” of the central government in Baghdad and that the KRG had merely “facilitated” the transfer. Dizayee additionally claimed that Iraq’s recently ousted defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, had visited the Turkish camp.

Dizayee’s statement followed a phone call between Barzani and US Vice President Joe Biden to discuss the pending operation to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State. Biden reportedly urged Barzani to publicly refute Turkish claims that its troops had come to Bashiqa at the KRG’s behest.

The spokesman for the US-led coalition against IS, Col. John Dorrian, laid out Washington’s position when he told a press conference in Baghdad that every force “should be here with the coordination or and with the permission of the government of Iraq.”

In private conversations with coalition officials, the Iraqi Kurds claim that they did not invite the Turks to Bashiqa. The KRG, however, has never publicly aired criticism of the Turkish deployment. The Iraqi Kurds view the Turkish presence as insurance against the predominantly Shiite Popular Mobilization Units possibly trying to seize upon the Mosul campaign to push KRG peshmerga from disputed areas inside Ninevah province that had been abandoned by the Iraqi army when IS struck in summer 2014.

Indeed, there is talk of the KRG aligning itself with a Turkish and Saudi-led Sunni bloc to offset potential moves by neighboring Iran to sabotage Barzani's long-nurtured plans for an independent state. Barzani is counting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to back these plans. A mega energy deal inked between the KRG and Ankara in 2013 for the sale of Kurdish oil and natural gas, allegedly at well below market prices, was calculated to help cement Erdogan’s support.

There are widespread allegations that Berat Albayrak, Turkey’s energy minister and Erdogan’s son-in-law, holds a stake in Powertrans, the Turkish company that was awarded a monopoly on trucking Kurdish oil to Turkey. Regardless, the Iraqi Kurds’ sole outlet for energy exports, on which their economic survival depends, is Turkey.

Still, how far Turkey will go to defend the Iraqi Kurds remains unnervingly unclear. As Barzani himself noted, when IS came within striking distance of the KRG capital of Erbil, it was Iran, not Turkey, that rushed to their defense.

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

The Middle East in your inbox Insights in your inbox.

Deepen your knowledge of the Middle East

Trend Reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial