Turkish premier to visit Iraq

The Iraqi Embassy in Ankara announced on Friday that Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım would conduct an official visit to Iraq.

"We are trying to organize the visit of Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım to Baghdad," said Dr. Hisham al-Alawi, the Iraqi Ambassador to Ankara.

"Kirkuk is part of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has no right to include it. We may use force to take control of border gates. The military drills with Turkey were preparation for this,” he added.

In case of a possible operation in northern Iraq, Turkish and Iraqi troops prepared by taking part in drills simulating critical deployment measures in hostile areas, in addition to training against enemy attacks and ambushes.

Turkey’s military drills were launched three kilometers away from the border in the southeastern Silopi region in the early hours of Sept. 18, a week before the KRG’s non-binding independence referendum.

Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey on Sept. 23 for joint military exercises due to be carried out the following day in Habur.

On Sept. 25, Iraqis in KRG-held areas -- and in several areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil -- voted on whether to declare independence from Iraq.