Iraq to UNSC:For Immediate Withdrawal of Turkish Troops
Local Editor
Baghdad addressed the United Nations Security Council demanding an unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Iraqi territory to put an end to the "aggressive act" and "flagrant violation" of international legislation.
Iraqi Ambassador to the UN Mohamed Ali al-Hakim wrote in a letter to the US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power who is President of the Security Council this month:"We call on the Security Council to demand that Turkey withdraw its forces
immediately... and not to violate Iraqi sovereignty again."
"This is considered a flagrant violation of the principles of the UN Charter, and a violation of Iraqi territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Iraq," the letter
further added.
Back on December 4, Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to a base in the Iraqi Nineveh province, without approval from Baghdad.
On the other side, Ankara claims that the aim of the deployment was to provide security to Turkish soldiers deployed earlier to train Kurdish militia who are fighting "ISIS", a terrorist group outlawed in a number of countries, including Russia.
For its part, Iraq rejected the claims, stressing that the Turkish military presence had not been requested.
Describing the Turkish incursion as an "aggressive act," the letter stated that"Iraq worked on containment of this issue by diplomatic means and bilateral talks, but these efforts did not succeed in convincing Turkey to withdraw its occupying forces from Iraqi territory."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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