The convoy of military trucks, armored vehicles and soldiers, passes Turkish southeastern city of Gaziantep on the way to Iraqi-Turkish border
A huge number of Turkish military personnel carriers and armored vehicles, which will be deployed to the Iraqi border in the Silopi district of southeastern Şıranak province, have reached Gaziantep on Saturday.
The military vehicles were sent from Ankara and Çankırı by railway and are to be deployed under the Peace Force of the 28th Mechanized Infantry Command on the border line, around 150 kilometers north of the Turkmen populated Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
After reaching Gaziantep, the convoy continued toward the destination on highway.
This is the second military convoy deployed to the Iraqi border as part of Turkey's border security measures after the Iraqi army, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition, launched the Mosul operation against Daesh terrorists group on October 17.
Deployment for 'any situation beyond the border'
Ankara is concerned over a joint terror assault on the city of Tal Afar, as the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists and Shi'ite Hashdi Shaabi militia group agreed to launch an ethnic cleansing operation to the city.
Defense Minister Fikri Işık said the military deployment to the border was "a part of Turkey's preparation to face any kind of situation beyond the border."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier this week that Turkey would not allow the terror groups to enter the Turkmen town and would do whatever needs to prevent them from doing so.
The second convoy consists of 37 military trucks, two armored personnel carriers, one crane and around 150 soldiers.
