Haider al-Abadi Warns Turkey About Consequences of Military Intervention in Iraq

Following the deployment of Turkish forces at the shared border with Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, warned on Tuesday about the consequences of Turkey's military intervention in Iraq, stating that Baghdad does not seek war. According to AFP, al-Abadi said in a live television program: 'Turkey's invasion of Iraqi territory will lead to the disintegration of Turkey.' Turkey insists on participating in the battle to liberate Mosul from the control of the Islamic State group, but Iraq opposes any presence of Turkish forces on its soil, stating that Turkish troops stationed at the Bashika base near Mosul must leave Iraq. On Tuesday, the Iraqi Prime Minister emphasized: 'We do not seek war with Turkey; we are not looking for confrontation with Turkey.' Al-Abadi added: 'However, if confrontation occurs, we are prepared for it. We will consider (Turkey) as our enemy and will treat it as such.' A Turkish military source told AFP that Turkey has deployed several tanks and artillery along its southeastern border with Iraq. The source added that a convoy of 30 armored vehicles has departed from Ankara towards the city of Silopi at the border of the two countries and has now reached the province of Adana in southern Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık emphasized on Tuesday that the deployment of military forces at the border with Iraq is aimed at maintaining readiness for 'important developments' in the region. Işık stated that Turkey is preparing for events that may occur in the future. Tensions in Iraq-Turkey relations have escalated in recent months. The presence of Turkish forces at a base in northern Iraq has led to a severe verbal clash between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Haider al-Abadi. Iraqi army forces, along with the Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Region and Shiite militias, have launched operations to liberate Mosul two weeks ago. Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, has been under the control of the Islamic State (ISIS) for two years.