ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Ankara’s decision to gradually withdraw from a military base near Iraq’s Mosul will be implemented in parallel with Baghdad’s efforts to disarm armed groups in Shingal (Sinjar).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, issuing a joint statement agreeing to enforce full federal authority in the Yazidi heartland of Shingal, west of Mosul, and subsequently terminate “the presence of all proscribed foreign armed elements.”
Speaking to reporters in New York on Saturday, Fidan reiterated Turkey’s willingness to hand over the base.
“As Iraq’s roadmap for ending terrorism and the presence of armed groups is implemented, Turkey will also move toward gradually reducing and ultimately ending its presence there — I am referring specifically to the Bashiqa base,” he was quoted by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency as saying.
“Hopefully, once the presence of the terrorist group in Shingal is brought to an end and eliminated, we will, of course, take certain steps as well,” he added.
Fidan’s remarks come less than two weeks after the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS), a group affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), agreed to hand over its weapons and integrate with Iraqi security forces following a meeting with the Iraqi premier in Baghdad earlier in September.
Turkey has long cited the presence of the PKK and affiliated groups in the area as a security concern.
The Bashiqa-Zilkan base was established in 2015 following the Islamic State (ISIS) onslaught, with Turkey deploying around 900 troops and heavy weaponry. The base has been a source of diplomatic friction between Ankara and Baghdad, with Iraq accusing Turkey of violating its sovereignty.
The YBS agreement to hand over its weapons comes against the backdrop of the Turkey-PKK peace process and broader efforts toward the PKK’s disbandment.
Turkey has also maintained dozens of military bases in the Kurdistan Region for decades, citing its conflict with the PKK.
