Thousands of Iraqis protest against Turkey’s troop deployment in north

Thousands of Iraqis protest against Turkey’s troop deployment in north
Published time: 12 Dec, 2015 21:13


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Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against Turkish military deployment in Iraq, at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, Iraq, December 12, 2015 © Ahmed Saad / Reuters

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Thousands of Iraqis across the country protested against the deployment of Turkey’s troops to a base near the northern city of Mosul, held by Islamic State militants. Protesters chanted anti-Turkish slogans and burned and trampled on Turkish flags.
At least 4000 people joined in with the rally at Tahrir Square in Bagdad. They called on Ankara to immediately withdraw its forces from Iraq calling the actions of Turkish authorities “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty” and “occupation.”


"We consider any military presence on Iraqi land as foreign aggression which we should stand against using all possible means," Hadi al-Amiri, a Shiite lawmaker, who also leads the armed Badr Organisation, said during the rally in Baghdad, as quoted by Reuters.

Demonstrators also trampled on the Turkish flag and hit a caricature of the Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with slippers as a demonstration of disrespect, Reuters reported.

Several thousands of Iraqis also gathered in the country’s southern city of Basra. The demonstrators also reportedly burned the Turkish flag during the rally. Some Shiite militia members also joined the protests in the city, carrying banners reading “Death to Turkey. Death to Erdogan” and threatening violence against Turkish soldiers unless Turkey’s forces are withdrawn.

"We are on high alert now awaiting orders from our commanders to set fire to the ground beneath the feet of Turkish soldiers," Amjad Salim, a local commander of the Bard Organization in Basra told Reuters.

"If Turkey thinks Iraq is busy with fighting Daesh [Islamic State] and it can seize the opportunity to deploy troops then it should think twice before making such a mistake," said Abu Muntathar al-Moussawi, a local commander of another militia group called Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

In the Iraq’s south-eastern city of Nasiriyah demonstrators called on the country’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi to take a “firm stance” against Turkey’s “aggression,” Press TV reports.
During a protest in the city of al-Diwaniyah in central Iraq, hundreds of people called on the government to expel the Turkish ambassador and break off relations with Ankara.

Earlier on Saturday, al-Abadi once again condemned the deployment of Turkish troops to northern Iraq and stressed that Baghdad regards it not as an anti-terrorist action but as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Tensions between the two countries have increased dramatically since Turkey deployed about 150 soldiers backed by artillery and around 25 tanks to a base near the ISIS-controlled northern Iraqi city of Mosul on December 4.
Turkey has consistently claimed the troops were deployed in order to train local Kurdish Peshmerga forces adding that the move complied with previous agreements between Ankara and Baghdad.

Iraqi authorities regard the move a flagrant breach of the country’s sovereignty and repeatedly call on Ankara to withdraw its forces. Baghdad issued an ultimatum demanding that Turkish troops leave its territory but Turkey refused to comply with it.
Iraqi government also appealed to the UN Security Council about Turkish forces’ presence seeking assistance in resolving the crisis.

Erdogan said that Turkish forces withdrawal from Iraq is “out of question” and denounced the Iraqi appeal to the UNSC as “not honest.”


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Baghdad Protest Against Turkey Reveals Iraqi Divisions

• By susannah george and qassim abdul-zahra, associated press
  

BAGHDAD — Dec 12, 2015, 2:59 PM ET

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]The Associated Press
Shiite militia members and supporters participate in a demonstration demanding the withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Iraq, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Crowds of young men in military fatigues chanted against Turkish “occupation,” vowing they would fight the Turkish troops themselves if they do not withdraw. Turkey has had troops near Mosul since last year but the arrival of additional troops last week sparked an uproar in Baghdad. Ankara subsequently halted new deployments. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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Thousands of Shiite militiamen and supporters rallied on Saturday and demanded that Turkish troops immediately withdraw from Iraqi territory, a show of strength by the country's powerful militia groups and the Shiite political rivals of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Militiamen in fatigues, supporters and onlookers gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, chanting, "No to occupation, no to Turkey." Some young men burned Turkish flags. Former Prime Minister [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], who is the current Prime Minister's fiercest rival, walked through the square and was mobbed by supporters who snapped photos and video on their phones.

Turkey has had troops near the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] since last year but the arrival of additional troops last week has sparked an uproar in the country. Ankara subsequently halted new deployments.

Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the powerful Badr Brigade, a Shiite militia, called for the troops to leave, drawing cheers and chants.

"This is a clear message that the Iraqi politicians and the people of Iraq are against this intrusion into the sovereignty of Iraq," said Saad al-Muttalibi, an Iraqi lawmaker and close Maliki ally.

He said, however, the demonstration was not meant to be a challenge to Abadi's handling of the crisis. "We support the processes, but we think the people will be heard in such important events," he said.

Hussein Ali, a 40-year-old Baghdad businessman, said troops can't enter another country without the agreement of its government.

"Even if they had the agreement of the Kurdish (regional government), that doesn't count. It's a violation," he said.

The Kurdish Regional Government denies brokering a deal with Turkish troops to increase their presence at the base near Mosul, insisting that Baghdad approved the training mission months ago.

Harith al-Qarawee, an Iraq researcher at Brandeis University, said the protest Saturday was as much about Baghdad politics as it was about tensions with Turkey.

"For Maliki and his allies in the Shia paramilitary groups, this was an opportunity to consolidate their Shia constituency," he said. It was also a chance to show that Abadi and his allies "cannot match their powerful reaction to the Turkish intervention."

"Iraq is the 'sick man' of the region," Qarawee said. The country's internal divisions are not only hampering the country's fight against the Islamic State group, they're also encouraging other powers to bypass the central government, he said.

Turkish President [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] repeated Friday that Turkey would not pull out troops already in Iraq and that the training process "in agreement" with Iraq would continue.

Ali said he came to Tahrir Square to protest government corruption over the summer, but stopped attending when it became clear nothing was changing. This was the first time he's felt compelled to return.

"This is more important than the other protests," Ali said. "This (crisis) honestly will divide Iraq into three parts."

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