Iraq threatens Turkey over military deployment in Mosul

Chairman of the Iraqi Parliament's Security and Defense Committee Hakim al-Zamili labeled Turkey's military deployment in Mosul an act of “occupation" and said the Iraqi army was ready to bomb Turkish forces there.

Turkey deployed 1,200 soldiers along with 25 tanks and several armored vehicles in the Bashiqa region near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul to provide training for Iraqi troops as a part of the fight against Daesh.

Mosul, a city of more than one million people, was under the control of Northern Iraqi Kurdistan until last year. But in June 2014, the Dsesh terrorist group seized the biggest city in northern Iraq after heavy clashes with northern Iraqi Kurdish forces.

A much-anticipated counteroffensive by Iraqi forces to retake the oil-rich city has been repeatedly postponed because they are involved in fighting elsewhere.

According to Turkey's security sources, the deployment process started on December 3 and ended late night December, 5 as troops crossed into the region.

The Iraqi parliament's defense committee chairman confirmed that Turkish troops had been settled in a military base near Mosul, calling the move "an incursion."

Zamili said Turkey's military thus targeting Iraqi sovereignty and added that Iraqi Air Forces informed Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of the situation and were waiting for his permission to attack Turkish troops.

A statement from the Iraqi prime minister's media office said Turkish troops entered its territory without request or permission from Baghdad authorities and called on the forces to leave immediately.

Turkish military sources said troops which had already been in Iraqi Kurdistan had just moved to Mosul as a part of replacing the existing troops there.

A senior Kurdish military officer based on the Bashiqa front line, north of Mosul, said additional Turkish trainers had arrived at a camp in the area overnight on Thursday, escorted by a Turkish protection force.

The camp is used by a force called Hashid Watani (national mobilization), which was formed by Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former governor of Mosul.

There was already a small number of Turkish trainers there before this latest deployment.

Another senior Turkish official said the soldiers in the region were there to train Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Dohuk and Arbil.

The Turkish Armed Forces have trained 2,700 Kurdish Permergas, 2,400 Sunni and 1,400 Turkmen soldiers as a part of the fight against Daeshso far and the trainings will continue, the official said.

The movement of Turkish trainer troops from Arbil to Mosul is thought to be a sign of an upcoming ground offensive to retake the city from Daesh militants.