ISTANBUL — Turkey announced on Saturday that it would continue to withdraw its troops from a military base in northern Iraq, saying that there had been miscommunication with Baghdad regarding the deployment of the forces, sent as part of a mission to train Kurdish and Sunni Arab forces in the fight against the Islamic State.
Turkey recently sent reinforcements to the base in Bashiqa, near Mosul, as part of an international training mission, sparking an angry reaction from the Iraqi government, which said it had never invited the Turkish force.
This week, Turkey withdrew some of the troops after talks between Turkish and Iraqi leaders. On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it would continue to move its troops out of the camp.
It was not immediately clear how many troops would be moved.
Baghdad has called on Turkey to withdraw all its troops from the camp, calling the deployment an “illegal incursion” and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Turkish officials said the reinforcement troops and tanks had been deployed to protect Turkish military trainers.
“Turkey reiterates its support for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and acknowledges the miscommunication with the government of Iraq over the deployments of Turkish protection forces,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The statement came a day after President Obama urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to take additional steps to reduce tensions with Iraq and move troops from the training camp, according to a statement from the White House.
Turkey recently sent reinforcements to the base in Bashiqa, near Mosul, as part of an international training mission, sparking an angry reaction from the Iraqi government, which said it had never invited the Turkish force.
This week, Turkey withdrew some of the troops after talks between Turkish and Iraqi leaders. On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it would continue to move its troops out of the camp.
It was not immediately clear how many troops would be moved.
Baghdad has called on Turkey to withdraw all its troops from the camp, calling the deployment an “illegal incursion” and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Turkish officials said the reinforcement troops and tanks had been deployed to protect Turkish military trainers.
“Turkey reiterates its support for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and acknowledges the miscommunication with the government of Iraq over the deployments of Turkish protection forces,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The statement came a day after President Obama urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to take additional steps to reduce tensions with Iraq and move troops from the training camp, according to a statement from the White House.
“Turkey will continue to coordinate with the government of Iraq its military contributions to the fight against Daesh,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said, using an acronym to describe the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. “Turkey reaffirms its commitment to deepen cooperation with the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/world/middleeast/turkey-to-continue-withdrawal-of-troops-from-northern-iraq.html?ref=world&_r=0
