Alwaght- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi increased pressure on Turkey by calling on the UN Security Council to demand that Ankara pulls out its troops from northern Iraq.
In a Friday statement addressed to “Iraqi people and friends all over the world,” Abadi stated that the Turkish troops had entered Iraqi territories without the consent of the Iraqi government, adding that his country has never requested ground troops from any foreign country since it has enough soldiers and police forces to maintain its security and fight against terrorists.
“All Iraqi people, with all their resources, never cease to defend their soil and are all united to repel this blatant violation,” he added.
“We have shown our interest in having cooperation with our friends in the war against terrorists, in areas such as weaponry, training, consultancy and intelligence-sharing, but we never ever accept violation of our holy territorial integrity and national sovereignty,” Abadi further said, adding that there is a difference between cooperation in the war against terrorists and the military invasion of Iraqi territory by Turkish troops.
He also warned that Baghdad has exhausted all diplomatic means to resolve the dispute with Ankara.
The statement, which added that the foreign ministry has been ordered to make a "formal complaint" over "the Turkish incursion", came shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Turkish troops have been in Mosul for 18 months at the request of the Iraqi prime minister.
Turkey claims that its forces are training both Kurdish Peshmerga fighters from Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region as well as Iraqi army troops. There are believed to be between 150 and 300 Turkish troops, backed by 20 Turkish tanks, now in Iraq.
