Turkey to continue pulling troops out of Mosul
Date
12/20/2015 2:01:55 AM
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) ANKARA Dec 19 (KUNA) -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry reaffirmed support to Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity and acknowledged that miscommunication with the Iraqi government led to a recent row over the deployment of Turkish troops in Bashiqa camp.
"Turkey will continue withdrawing its troops from Bashika in order to allay Baghdad's concerns about the Turkish military presence in the town" the Ministry said in statement Saturday evening.
It noted that the presence of the Turkish protection forces in the town located in Ninawa Governorate northeast of Mosul was meant to help train the local forces in the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
"Turkey in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the requirements of the fight against ISIL will continue to move military forces which have been the cause of misunderstanding of the Iraqi government from Bashika to another part of northern Iraq" the statement affirmed.
It reiterated Ankara's readiness to cooperate with Baghdad for closer coordination of joint efforts to defeat ISIL.
Early this month Baghdad complained about the deployment of 150 Turkish soldiers to the site calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and insisting the Turkish forces must be unconditionally withdrawn.
US President Barack Obama asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in two separate phone calls on Friday to take additional steps in order to ease the tension with Baghdad. (end) rs.gb
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