Turkish PM in Iraq amid «Occupation» Tensions

Local Editor

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim arrived in Baghdad following a war of words between the two neighbors over the unauthorized presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq.

The two-day visit is the first in its kind since the two governments quarreled over the incursion of Turkish troops into northern Iraq, straining relations to the point of a military face-off.

Yildirim was welcomed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad before heading to talks, but the Iraqi state TV didn't give details on schedule.

"We hope that his [Yildirim's] visit will open a new chapter in Turkey-Iraq relations," Turkey's Ambassador to Iraq Faruk Kaymakci said on his Twitter account.

Turkey's deployment of some 500 Turkish troops into the Bashiqa region northeast of the Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"]-held city of Mosul has triggered a chorus of protest from the Iraqi government, political groups and people.

Last December, Turkey deployed a number of soldiers, equipped with heavy arms and backed by tanks, to the Bashiqa military camp on the outskirts of Mosul.

Ankara claimed the deployment was part of a mission to train and equip Iraqi Kurdish forces in the fight against Daesh. However, Baghdad had repeatedly denounced the move as a violation of its sovereignty and called for the withdrawal of Turkish troops.

A spokesman for the Counter Terrorism Service [CTS] said Iraqi forces had closed in on the Tigris River that divides the northern city of Mosul in half.

"Counterterrorism forces have been sent about 500 meters from the fourth bridge," Sabah al-Numan told reporters east of Mosul on Saturday.

Numan further noted that Iraqi troops were the closest they had been to the strategic river and were advancing as a result of new tactics and better coordination among different branches of the army.

Federal police and CTS forces "are now moving in parallel on both axes" in southeastern Mosul, where a major operation is underway to retake the city from Daesh terrorists, the official pointed out.

"We are proceeding side by side ... and advancing at the same level," he said, adding, "We have worn down the terrorist organization with this type of advance."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team