Iraqi PM Demands Withdrawal of Turkish Troops Near Mosul
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi condemned on Saturday Turkey's movement of troops into northern Iraq near Mosul and demanded their immediate withdrawal.
Iraq is demanding the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops that are allegedly on a training mission near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which is occupied by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) radicals (known as Daesh in the Arab world).
"Turkish armed forces' entry into northern Iraq near Mosul without permission is an act of incursion and they must leave immediately," a statement from the press service of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi obtained by RIA Novosti said.
On Friday, various media reports said that about 130 Turkish military personnel had been deployed to the Mosul area allegedly to provide training to Kurdish Peshmerga (a military force of Iraqi Kurdistan), Sputnik New reported.
Abadi also said on Twitter that the "unauthorized presence of Turkish troops in Mosul province is a serious breach of Iraqi sovereignty."
Mosul was captured by Daesh militants in June, 2014. At the time, the city had a population of over 2 million. It is still controlled by the radicals.
Daesh, a radical group, has ceased vast areas in Iraq, as well as Syria. A US-led international coalition, which includes Turkey, has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria since September 2014.
Peshmerga forces in Iraq have been fighting against Daesh on the ground.
