Gradual Turkish withdrawal from Iraq: Baghdad and Ankara agree to hand over the Bashiqa camp to Iraqi security forces.
Gradual Turkish withdrawal from Iraq: Baghdad and Ankara agree to hand over the Bashiqa camp to Iraqi security forces.
9-27-2026
Information/Exclusive
Iraqi-Turkish relations are heading towards a new phase on the security level, after the agreement between Baghdad and Ankara on the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp in Nineveh Governorate to the Iraqi federal government, according to a mechanism and timetable agreed upon by both sides.
In this regard, political analyst Haitham al-Khazali confirmed to Al-Maalomah that “the Turkish forces present in the northern regions of Iraq will withdraw from Iraqi territory within a scheduled time period,” indicating that the withdrawal will be gradual and not sudden.
Al-Khazali explained that “Iraq is obligated to expel foreign forces from its territory, as well as to address the presence of groups that use Iraqi territory as a base to target Turkish and Iranian security,” stressing the need to take clear steps in this direction and deploy Iraqi forces along the borders.
For his part, the Director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, revealed that the evacuation of the Bashiqa base from Turkish forces will begin within sixty days.
Al-Shammari explained in press statements followed by Al-Maalouma, that “there are talks in Istanbul to evacuate the Bashiqa site of any Turkish forces within a period of sixty days, as the Iraqi security forces will take control of Mount Sinjar.”
In a related context, former MP Jawad Al-Yassari stressed to Al-Maalomah that “if there is no longer any armed opposition in northern Iraq, then Turkey must withdraw to its own territory and leave the Iraqi territories in the north of the country.”
He added that “Turkey is using the pretext of the presence of an armed opposition that it is fighting in the Kurdish provinces, and says that its presence is aimed at protecting its borders and citizens,” stressing that “if Turkey continues to build infrastructure and bases inside Iraqi territory, the government and political forces must find solutions to this problem.”
Al-Yasari pointed out that “the central government is absent from the region, and the federal army and police are not present in the northern governorates as required, while the Peshmerga forces are the ones imposing their security control there.”
Thus, the gradual withdrawal of Turkish forces from their positions in northern Iraq could constitute a shift in the nature of the Turkish security presence within Iraqi territory, with the management of these sites being transferred to the Iraqi side, in parallel with continued cooperation between Baghdad and Ankara on security and border issues.
almaalomah.me
