Turkey to hand over military base to Iraq

Turkey says its forces will gradually transfer control of the Bashiqa-Zilkan base in northern Iraq to the Federal Government of Iraq under an agreed mechanism, though no timetable has been made public.

Joint statement follows New York meeting

The Turkish presidency announced the move on Wednesday in a joint statement with Iraq.

The announcement followed a meeting on Wednesday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“In light of progress achieved by these security measures implemented by Iraq, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to the Federal Government of Iraq in accordance with the agreed mechanism and timetable,” the joint statement said.

Base had strained ties with Baghdad

Ankara established the facility in Bashiqa in 2015 and deployed up to 600 soldiers there.

That deployment sparked tensions with Baghdad, making the planned handover a significant step in the handling of the base’s status.

The joint statement did not specify when the handover will take place.

Source: South China Morning Post