Iraqi PM warns Turkey of ‘regional war’ if doesn’t withdraw troops

Iraqi PM warns Turkey of ‘regional war’ if doesn’t withdraw troops
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Iraqi PM Haidar Al Abadi at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jan. 22, 2016. Photo: courtesy/World Economic Forum
[size=31]BAGHDAD,— Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned Turkey that keeping troops in northern Iraq could lead to a “regional war,” according to comments broadcast on state TV on Wednesday.[/size]
[size=31]Abadi, who spoke at news conference Tuesday evening, was reacting to the Turkish parliament’s decision last week to[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] a mandate that allows military operations against terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria for another year.[/size]
[size=31]“We have asked more than once the Turkish side not to intervene in Iraqi matters and I fear that the Turkish adventure could turn into a regional war,” Abadi said.[/size]

[size=31]“The Turkish leadership’s behavior is not acceptable and we don’t want to get into a military confrontation with Turkey.”[/size]
[size=31]The Iraqi parliament also voted on Tuesday a text that [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the Turkish parliament’s decision.[/size]
[size=31]The head of Iraq’s Shia militias of Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, said on Tuesday that his forces will consider any foreign troops that intervene in the battle for Mosul as “enemies” and will treat them as such, NRT reported.[/size]
[size=31]Amiri released a statement regarding the Turkish parliament’s approval of a mandate to extend military actions in Iraq and Syria and accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of taking advantage of sectarianism.[/size]
[size=31]Turkey says it deployed troops at a base in northern Iraq late last year as part of an international mission to allegedly train and equip Iraqi Kurdish forces to fight against Islamic State which controls vast territory south of the border region, around the city of Mosul, and also in neighboring Syria.[/size]
[size=31]The Iraqi government says it never invited such a force and considers the Turkish troops as occupiers.[/size]
[size=31]There are 800 Turkish troops deployed in the Mosul and Shaqlawa regions, the move that sparked a crisis between Ankara and Baghdad. Turkey sent a contingent of an additional 150 forces and 25 tanks in December 2015 to bolster its military presence in the Bashiqa camp, an area that has seen recent fighting.[/size]
[size=31]Iraqi leaders said in December 2015 that hundreds of Turkish troops had arrived without their knowledge or approval, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.[/size]
[size=31]The Turkish troops are still present in Nineveh province, based at Camp Bashiq, 70 kilometres west of Iraqi Kurdistan capital of Erbil.[/size]
[size=31]Turkey boosted its troop numbers at the camp sparking a diplomatic confrontation with Baghdad who asserted that the Turkish troops were in the country without Baghdad’s permission or knowledge.[/size]
[size=31]According to independent Awene weekly, Turkey has [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and intelligence bases in Dohuk province in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.[/size]
[size=31]On Saturday, the Turkish parliament voted to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the army’s military mandates in both Iraq and Syria, where Turkish forces are trying to establish a 5,000 square kilometre safe zone along its border.[/size]

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