AL denounces Turkish troop deployment in Iraq

The emergency meeting was held at the official request of Iraq.

Arab League deputy chief Ahmed Ben Heli said the Turkish troops also “increased tumult in the region”.

At the emergency Arab League meeting, foreign ministers of the Arab League denounced Turkey’s military presence in Iraq and called for the withdrawal of its troops.

But at the Cairo meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Turkey has insisted on “using the term redeployment “.

In addition, the Foreign Minister said that confronting terrorism requires strong coordination between Arab countries and that it is important for the Arab world to lead the war on terror.

“The statement of the Arab League, unfortunately, reveals that it has not comprehended both the extent of the threats posed by Daesh to mainly Iraq and our region, and Turkey’s self-sacrificing and resolved efforts in the face of this threat”, Bilgic told Anadolu Agency.

Baghdad labelled the deployment an illegal “incursion” but Turkey said it was to protect Turkish trainers working with Iraqi forces battling the ISIS militant group.

Arabi condemned Turkish military deployment in Iraq as a violation of worldwide law, at a meeting called by Baghdad to pressure Ankara on withdrawing the forces.

Iraq recently expressed anger at Turkey’s military presence at a base in northern Iraq. The move prompted a backlash in Iraq, sparking a diplomatic spat between Ankara and Baghdad. Turkish troops at the camp are not assigned combat duties.

On December 19, Turkey announced that it had begun withdrawing troops following an appeal by US President Barack Obama.