Turkish troops move out of northern Iraq after Obama appeal for calm

In a phone call on Friday, Obama urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to take steps “to de-escalate tensions with Iraq, including by continuing to withdraw Turkish military forces”. “Turkey will continue the process it has already begun to withdraw its troops stationed in Mosul province”, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement late on December 19.

On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Ankara will continue to recall some of the troops from the Bashiqa military base in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province.

It has not received much attention in the American mainstream media, but Reuters, Aljazeera, and others have reported that Turkey deployed 150 troops near the ISIS-occupied city of Mosul in the northern part of Iraq about a week ago without invitation, creating an global crisis.

Iraqi protesters demand the withdrawal of Turkish troops.

Ankara insisted the deployment was routine and necessary to protect the trainers, while Baghdad said it was unauthorised and protested to the Security Council.

The base came under fire from Islamic State on Wednesday, when militants fired rockets as they launched a wave of attacks against Kurdish forces.

“The Council of Ministers reiterates its welcome with Turkish announcement of withdrawal from Iraqi territories, and hoped a complete withdrawal”, the government said in a statement issued after a cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

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