Erdogan rules out Turkish troop withdrawal from Iraq

‘Out of question’: Erdogan rules out Turkish troop withdrawal from Iraq

RT,

10 December, 2015

The withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraq is out of question, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, promising to “cooperate” on the issue with the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. Baghdad has condemned the “invasion” as a breach of international law.

“Our servicemen went to Iraq as instructors, their mission is limited to training,” Erdogan claimed during a news conference in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

“It is out of the question, at present, that Turkey will pull out its military from Iraq,” he stressed.

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The Turkish leader made no mention of possible talks with Iraqi authorities to resolve the controversy. Commenting on the United Nations Security Council’s failure to produce any statement on the incident as per Russia’s request, Erdogan said that Turkey “will follow the process” but “has chosen to cooperate with the international coalition.”

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Erdogan however announced a trilateral meeting between Turkey, Northern Iraq Kurdish leaders and US officials scheduled to take place on December 21, according to AP.

Last week, Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to a base in Iraq’s Nineveh province, without bothering to get permission from Baghdad. Ankara argued that its soldiers were sent to northern Iraq after a threat from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) to Turkish military instructors training anti-terrorist forces in the area.

Baghdad condemned the move saying it had not asked for the help of Turkish forces and did not authorize the new deployment, calling it a violation of the country’s sovereignty.

The Iraqi parliament has decided to invite the country’s foreign and defense ministers to its session on Sunday to discuss the government’s response to the  Razzaq Mihebis, a deputy from Badr Organisation party, told RT. Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq was also summoned to the parliament on Thursday, he dded.

“Objections were expressed to him over such actions, with the ambassador also handed a demand of the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from the territory of Iraq,” Mihebis said.

The MP also commented on previous claims by Erdogan, who told Al Jazeera that the Turkish troops were in Iraq at the request of the country’s prime-minister, Haider al-Abadi.

“It’s a lie. This statement has nothing to do with reality… the Turkish troops have entered Iraq as invaders without a request from Iraqi government and without its permission,” he said.

 

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Crippled in Syria, Turkey goes for a ‘Sunnistan’ in Iraq (Op-Edge by Pepe Escobar) http://on.rt.com/6yxu 

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7:24 PM - 10 Dec 2015

Mihebis also confirmed media reports of Turkish airstrikes targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) forces in northern Iraq on Wednesday. He called the bombings “a new violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and of international law by Turkey.”

“If Turkey does not withdraw its troops and the Security Council, the Arab League and the international community will continue to idle, we will find a way to protect our legal rights,” Iraqi parliament member from the State of Law bloc, Awatif Nima, told RT.

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“Without a doubt, all that Erdogan said today is not true, because there is no agreement or any coordination between Erdogan and Iraqi government,” the Iraqi MP added. “In the area [of Turkish troops deployment] there is no Iraqi armed forces. There are only terrorist groups’ camps.”