Middle East...:Iraq Demands That Turkey Pull Its ’Occupying’...

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Iraq Demands That Turkey Pull Its ’Occupying’ Troops out Of Military Base near Mosul

Local Editor

Outraged by Ankara's decision to extend the stationing of its troops in northern Iraq, 30 kilometers from Mosul, Iraqi MPs called on the government to review its relations with Turkey and lodge a complaint against the "occupation" with the UNSC.

On Tuesday, the majority of Iraqi legislators spoke out against the Turkish parliament's decision to prolong the stationing of about 150 Turkish soldiers and some 25 tanks at the Bashiqa military camp in Iraq's northern Nineveh Province, which is located at the forefront of the battle with Daesh [ISIS/ISIL].

In a written statement, the MPs decried the decision, appealing to the country's prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, to summon the Turkish ambassador and file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council that would designate Turkey's military contingent as an "occupying" force, according to Rudaw news agency.

On Saturday, the Turkish parliament green lighted the extension of the Turkish military's intervention in both Iraq and Syria.

Since 2014, Turkish servicemen provided training and support to Kurdish Peshmerga units and Sunni militia known as Hashd al-Watani forces at the camp, subject to agreement with the Iraqi government.

However, on December 4 of last year, Turkey beefed up its military presence at the camp, allegedly to protect its advisers. The move infuriated Baghdad, which insisted that Turkey had not asked for permission from the Iraqi government to deploy additional troops, thus violating its sovereignty.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to acknowledge this at that time, claiming that Turkey was acting within the scope of the previous agreement.

Speaking in the wake of the vote, Abadi publicly called for Turkey's troops to immediately leave its territory, saying that "the Turkish insistence on their presence inside Iraqi territories has no justification."

The prime-minister told journalists on Tuesday that Iraq has managed to enlist the support of the ‘international community,' as well as the US-led international coalition, in its bid to remove the Turkish military from its territory.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team