ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Shiite militia in Iraq threatened to attack Turkish troops and the Islamic State (ISIS) simultaneously during an anticipated offensive on Mosul, if Turkey does not pull its forces out of Iraq.
Yousif al-Kilabi, spokesperson of the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi militia, warned that Turkish forces based “in Northern Iraq are occupiers and during the fight against ISIS in Mosul we do not fight the group (ISIS) alone, but also the Turkish troops if they do not retreat from Iraqi land.”
Kilabi reiterated that “the invaders have not been welcomed by the Iraqi government. Therefore, if they insist on staying in Iraq we will treat them as enemies. We fight them the way we fight ISIS.”
On Saturday, the Turkish parliament voted to extend the army’s military mandates in both Iraq and Syria, where Turkish forces are trying to establish a 5,000 square kilometer safe zone along its border.
The Iraqi parliament, however, on Tuesday rejected Turkish lawmakers’ decision to extend the mandate.
The parliament also decided to summon the Turkish ambassador to Iraq to deliver the country’s concerns regarding the presence of the Turkish troops in the country’s northern Bashik town in Mosul.
Ahmed al-Jabouri, a Sunni MP in the Iraqi parliament, said “the Iraqi government should quickly express its stance over the Turkish parliament’s decision to maintain its military mandate in Iraq (and Syria).”
Jabouri urged “the international community to investigate Turkey and drive their forces out of Iraq.”
In contrast to comments by Iraqi officials regarding the presence of the Turkish army in Iraq, Arafat Karam, a Kurdish MP in Baghdad said, Sunnis and Shiites must denounce other foreign forces that are meddling in Iraq’s political affairs.
“Why do they not talk about other parties, for example Iran. They have even come to Baghdad. Why do they only talk about Turkey?”
However, Turkey's foreign ministry on Tuesday also condemned the Iraqi parliament's characterization of Turkish troops in Bashiqa as occupiers as it urged a reassessment of financial ties with Ankara.
"We strongly condemn the Iraqi parliament's unacceptable decision, including dirty accusations for Turkish President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan)," the ministry said in a statement.
In Iraq’s northern Nineveh Province, Turkey deployed military advisors to train Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Sunni Hashd al-Watani militia to fight ISIS in that province last year. Baghdad has been demanding Turkish forces withdraw since last December when Turkey sent additional military forces to protect its base in Bashiqa, near Mosul, from ISIS attacks, without the explicit authorization of the Iraqi government.
