Some Turkish troops pull out from camp outside Iraq’s Mosul: state media

Nevertheless, Iraq continues to insist on the “immediate” withdrawal of the latest deployment of Turkish troops which Baghdad views as “illegal” and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and the UN Charter.

Ankara defended the move as routine troop rotation at an established camp, as part of an global mission to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight so-called Islamic State (IS). The Turkish troops in the camp were not given combat duties and responsibilities.

The troops were carried in a convoy of 10-12 military vehicles, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said, quoting military sources.

But it did not specify if they were moving farther north into Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, where Ankara has forces deployed at multiple sites, or leaving altogether.

Pointing his pistol towards an image of Erdogan, Amjad Salim, a local commander in the Badr Organisation in Basra, said: “We are on high alert now awaiting orders from our commanders to set fire to the ground beneath the feet of Turkish soldiers”.

“We did what was necessary to do from a military point of view”, he said, without providing details.

Over the past few days, thousands of Iraqi protesters have staged demonstrations across the country to denounce the Turkish deployment of military forces.

Iraq said in early December hundreds of Turkish troops had arrived in its territory without its knowledge, calling it a hostile act. He noted that if Iraq wants a complete removal of forces, then Turkey should comply with that request.

Turkey argued the additional troops were needed to protect its trainers from an increased IS threat against Turkish soldiers.

But the deployment outraged the federal Iraqi government, which repeatedly demanded that Ankara withdraw the forces. Former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is Abadi’s fiercest rival, walked through the square and was mobbed by supporters who took photos and videos with their phones.