Turkey withdrawing part of troops from Iraq

A Turkish military source said Monday that some of the Turkish troops and an unspecified number of tanks that were deployed at the Bashiqa camp have been withdrawn to another part of northern Iraq.

Turkish troops helping train Peshmerga fighters to combat ISIL, who hold Mosul.

Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and Ankara since December 4, when Turkey deployed some 150 soldiers, equipped with heavy weapons and backed by 20 to 25 tanks, to the outskirts of Mosul, the capital of Iraq’s Nineveh Province. The move came on the heels of recent spat between the two neighbouring countries over the fresh deployment of Turkish military trainers in Bashiqa Camp near Mosul that prompted an outcry from Baghdad that said it was not notified in advance.

Erdogan also commented on Russia’s proposal to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to issue a statement against Turkey’s deployment of Turkish troops, saying “the UNSC rejected the proposal, we will follow the process regarding the incident”.

White House said on Monday that Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu regarding Turkey’s troop deployments in northern Iraq.

“Not all of them but some, I can’t say exactly how many”, al Nujaifi told the AP, adding “the Turkish trainers are still in the camp providing training”.

Since March, Turkey has been operating a training program in the camp.

“But did not specify if they were moving farther north into Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, the government of which has strong relations with Ankara, or leaving altogether”.

Last week, Iraq gave Turkey 48 hours to withdraw the troops, but the deadline passed without Ankara doing so and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan subsequently ruled out a withdrawal. “No to Turkey!” Some young men burned Turkish flags.