Turkey agrees to return military base in northern Iraq to Baghdad

2 hours ago

Turkey and Iraq held negotiations in New York on September 23. During the talks, it was agreed that a military camp in northern Iraq would be gradually returned to the Baghdad government. The parties also concluded an agreement on ending the activities of illegal armed groups in the region.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. A joint statement issued after the meeting emphasized that they agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of security.

"Within the framework of this agreement, the parties reached a decision to fully establish state authority in the Sinjar region and to eliminate illegal foreign armed groups there," the statement said.

In this context, it refers to Kurdish militants located in the mountainous Sinjar region of northern Iraq. Currently, Turkey is continuing a peace process aimed at disarming the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and ending the long-standing conflict.

**Bashiqa-Zelikan base and troop withdrawal**

According to the joint statement, in accordance with the security measures taken by Iraq, the Turkish military will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zelikan base near Mosul to the Iraqi government.

An Iraqi military commander familiar with the negotiations stated that the process of withdrawing Turkish troops from the Bashiqa base and another small base near Mosul is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The Turkish side has not officially commented on this timeframe.

Ankara deployed its military near Mosul in 2015. At the time, Turkey stated that these forces were sent to train local forces to fight ISIS, which had captured Mosul in 2014, and to protect them.

However, this situation caused a dispute between Baghdad and Ankara. While Iraq demanded the withdrawal of Turkish troops, Turkey emphasized that they were supporting an anti-terrorist mission. Currently, Turkey still has several bases in this region aimed at protecting its national security.

According to the statement, the leaders of the two countries also discussed bilateral relations and trade issues, emphasizing the need to quickly implement previously signed agreements and accelerate strategic projects.