Iraq has announced the phased withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Bashiqa-Zelikan military camp, with full transfer to Iraqi security forces expected by year-end.
Iraqi authorities have announced that Turkish troops will begin a phased withdrawal from the Bashiqa-Zelikan military camp in northern Nineveh province this November, following an agreement between Baghdad and Ankara.
Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said the military facility is expected to be fully handed over to Iraqi security forces by the end of the year.
Al-Numan disclosed that a joint Iraqi-Turkish security committee had begun work to supervise the transfer of the camp.
He said the committee’s activation followed understandings reached between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in New York in September.
The announcement comes after a joint statement issued by the two countries on Sunday, in which Türkiye agreed to gradually transfer control of the Bashiqa-Zelikan military base to the Iraqi federal government.
Located in the Nineveh Plain, the base has been a longstanding source of tension between the two countries.
Türkiye established its military presence at the facility in 2015 to support operations against the Islamic State militant group. However, Iraq has consistently regarded the deployment as a violation of its national sovereignty.
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