Iraq to file complaint at United Nations over Turkish troops deployment

“We call on the Security Council to demand that Turkey withdraw its forces immediately… and not to violate Iraqi sovereignty again”, Iraqi Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim said in a letter to the Security Council.

The Iraqi leader said that foreign troops were not needed to fight Islamic State militants in the country, and said it had given Turkey time to remove their troops.

The rallies were organized and led by Shi’ite militia groups, which have threatened to use force against Turkey unless it withdraws.

Baghdad said their presence was a “flagrant violation” of global law.

“Turkish troops in Mosul are not there as combatants; they are trainers”.

“We agree with every step the prime minister is taking right now”, said Samawi, who was dressed in a suit.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi also demanded his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu the Turkish troops’ withdrawal from Iraq, but despite of repeated calls Ankara has disregarded the pulledout. Al-Sistani’s spokesman, Sheik Abdul Mehdi Karbala’i, did not explicitly name Turkey.

“Iraq’s neighbors and all other countries are required to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and refrain from sending troops without permission from the central government”, Sistani said, according to his representative Ahmed al-Safi.

“Taking into account the Iraqi government’s sensitivity, the decision was taken to reorganize the military personnel in the protection force at the Bashiqa camp”, Davutoglu’s office said. “Any troop deployment must have the consent of the Iraqi government”.

A similar demonstration was held in the city of al-Diwaniyah, where hundreds of people censured Turkey’s military intervention in Iraq, urging the Iraqi government to expel the Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad Faruk Kaymakci and sever all ties with Ankara.

Turkey has been running a training program since March in a training camp established in Bashiqa, near Mosul, to provide training to Iraqi volunteers as part of the fight against Daesh terrorist group.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and National Intelligence Agency (MIT) head Hakan Fidan visited Baghdad on Thursday for talks with Abadi on the issue.