Washington: There Is No Prior Permission From Iraq To The Presence of Turkish Troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD / NINA / Special Envoy of US President Barack Obama to combat Daesh, Brett McGurk confirmed lack of prior permission from Iraq to the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq. He said at a news conference at the State Department yesterday evening (Saturday morning Baghdad time) that "all the military forces in Iraq should get the Iraqi government's permission, and the US armed forces are present in Iraq with permission of the Iraqi government." He added, "We, as coalition forces, do not do any military operation in Iraq without the permission of the Iraqi government," noting that "the United States is keen through its presence in Iraq, to the unity and sovereignty of Iraq's territory." He McGurk confirmed that "Turkish troops stationed in Ba'shiqah without obtaining permission from the Iraqi government because of poor communication between Iraq and Turkey." called on the parties "to resolve the issue through diplomatic means, and through the cooperation and work closely with partners in Baghdad.". He explained that "the principle in Mosul is based on the existence of a single plan, and military force and any single armed group outside this force or the plan could be a source of threat." Turkey claims that it has request from the Iraqi central government to help train Iraqi volunteers and in the beginning of 2015 it trained volunteers from the people of Mosul, in Ba'shiqa base, and till today some 600 Turkish military personnel stationed at the base, training nearly three thousand volunteers. The Turkish parliament renewed mandate last Saturday to the government by sending armed forces outside the country to conduct military operations in Syria and Iraq, when necessary, in order to address any possible attacks may be exposed to the state of any terrorist organizations. For its part, the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted last Tuesday on the decision to reject the decision of the Turkish parliament to extend the mission of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria for one year, summoning the Turkish ambassador in Iraq, and handed him over a protest note. / End