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Iraq calls in Turkish ambassador over troops deployment

Saturday, 05 December 2015 7:01 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 05 December 2015 7:01 PM ]

Turkish soldiers take cover in front of a barricade during clashes with Kurdish militants in Silvan, southeastern province of Diyarbakir, November 13, 2015. (AFP photo)

Iraq has summoned the Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad over the deployment of Turkish forces near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which is under the control the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a Saturday statement that the forces have entered the Iraqi territory without informing the central government in Baghdad. It said Iraq considers their presence "a hostile act."

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish forces.

The soldiers, who are reportedly armed with tanks and artillery, are positioned in a camp in Iraq’s Nineveh Province, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border, where Ankara has been training forces in an attempt to retake the provincial capital of Mosul from Daesh.

The move, which is described by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as a "routine rotation activity," has irked Iraqi officials.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement that authorities “call on Turkey to... immediately withdraw from Iraqi territory.”

"We have confirmation that Turkish forces, numbering about one armored regiment with a number of tanks and artillery, entered Iraqi territory... allegedly to train Iraqi groups, without a request or authorization from Iraqi federal authorities," the statement from his office said.

Iraqi President Fuad Masum has also echoed the call and said the deployment of the Turkish troops near Mosul is "a violation of international norms and law."

Turkish media reported that Ankara is erecting a base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul with 600 soldiers. However, Davutoglu rejected the report, saying the camp is not a new one.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (AFP photo)

He claimed that the camp is a pre-existing training facility established to back local volunteer forces in the battle against terrorists and is set up in coordination with the Iraqi Defense Ministry, an allegation denied by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

Ankara's commitment to the fight against Daesh has been repeatedly questioned as it has been accused of seeking to attack the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, which Turkey has been bombing in northern Iraq over the past several months.

The Iraqi government has called on the international community to provide it with more arms and training to fight Daesh, but rejected direct intervention by other countries.

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