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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called for an immediate and “complete withdrawal” of all Turkish forces from northern Iraq. According to a statement released by the Iraqi prime minister’s office, al-Abadi and his senior ministers underlined the need for the “complete withdrawal” of Turkish troops from Iraqi soil. The cabinet “renewed its firm position on the necessity of a response from neighbouring Turkey to the Iraqi demand for a complete withdrawal from Iraqi territory and respect for its national sovereignty,” the statement said.
The statement also emphasised that Ankara’s partial pullout the previous day is not enough. Latest media reports indicate that some Turkish troops deployed in northern Iraq are leaving the Bashiqa camp, heading north to a yet unknown destination as part of a “new arrangement.”
A military source told Reuters on Monday that the Turkish forces were leaving the camp, close to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which is controlled by Daesh terrorist group. It is not yet clear whether the troops were moving within Iraq or heading back to Turkey. Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and Ankara since December 4, when Turkey deployed some 150 soldiers, equipped with heavy weapons and backed by 20 to 25 tanks, to the outskirts of Mosul, the capital of Iraq’s Nineveh Province. — PressTV.
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