Iraq Escalates Turkey Row Over Troops to UN Security Council

“Our servicemen went to Iraq as instructors, their mission is limited to training”, Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara.

Baghdad accused Turkey of military invasion and demanded the Turkish troops to left the country.

The deployment of heavily armed Turkish troops in northern Iraq close to Mosul, which is occupied by Islamic State extremists, touched off the latest controversy.

The Iraqi ministry said in a statement the Turkish forces had entered Iraqi territory without the knowledge of the central government in Baghdad, and that Iraq considered such presence “a hostile act”.

The issue will likely come up in bilateral talks, though the Kurdish leader is expected to officially discuss with the heads of Turkey economic matters, such as the sale of oil and gas from Iraq, and the fight against ISIS generally.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani visited Turkey on Wednesday as Ankara was embroiled in a crisis with Baghdad over the deployment of troops near an Islamic State group-held area in northern Iraq.

Kurtulmus said the “exaggeration” of the issue in Turkish public opinion and the media had triggered sensitivities in the Iraqi government.

Iraq does not need foreign ground forces, and the Iraqi government is committed not to allow the presence of any ground force on Iraqi land.

This brings the total number of Turkish troops stationed in Mosul up to 1,200, according to the Daily Sabah. He also reiterated an earlier statement that they were deployed following an invitation by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi a year ago.

He added that by violating worldwide law, Turkey is actually following in Washington’s footsteps and that resorting to the use of force remains a major factor in global affairs.

Turkey’s president has strongly rejected the Russian allegations.

A protest against Turkish intervention in Iraq has been scheduled in Baghdad for Saturday.

It said Iraq’s Foreign Ministry is also making contacts with the five permanent members of the UNSC and other countries “to gather global support for issuing a Security Council resolution condemning this violation”.

Moscow has criticized the U.S.-led coalition for not seeking the permission of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom many Western and Gulf nations want ousted.