Iraq opposes the deployment of foreign ground troops against IS

On December 5, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish Ambassador in Baghdad to ask Turkey to immediately withdraw its troops from Mosul. It described Turkey’s deployment of troops in Iraq without its consent a hostile activity and a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

Before summoning the Turkish Ambassador, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office reported a battalion of Turkish ground troops, tanks and artillery had entered Iraqi territory without Baghdad’s approval. This is a violation of international law and Iraq’s sovereignty, it said.

Iraqi President Fuad Masoum asked Turkey to withdraw its forces immediately and not repeat an action which could undermine their neighborliness.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi

Turkey denied any expansion of its military presence in northern Iraq. It said Bashiqa camp, 30 km northeast of Mosul, is a Turkish training base established to help local militias fight terrorism. 

More than 2,000 Iraqi militiamen are trained in the Bashiqa camp each year.  Turkey said it is ready to help Iraq’s national military and police fight terrorism.

Turkey sent troops to Mosul after it was criticized for not taking resolute steps to counter IS. In July, Turkey officially joined the US-led coalition to fight IS. In response to Turkey’s move, the US said it was not part of US-led activities against IS.

Earlier this month, the US State Department said it would send a special task force to Iraq to assist the fight against IS. This marks a return of US ground troops after more than 4 years and places a new strain on the US-Iraq relationship.

Iraq insists it doesn’t need foreign ground troops and all military actions are banned without Iraq’s consent. Shiite militiamen in Iraq reject the US plan to deploy ground troops in Iraq and will attack them if necessary.

Tensions between Iraq and Turkey and between the US and Iraq complicate  the fight against IS.