Moscow and Baghdad Consult on Turkish Forces Presence in Northern Iraq

Thousands of Iraqis marched on Saturday, December 21, in Baghdad and Basra against the presence of Turkish military forces near Mosul, while the foreign ministers of Russia and Iraq discussed the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq over a phone call. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Sergey Lavrov, the country's foreign minister, spoke with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari regarding Turkey's 'illegal invasion' of northern Iraq. According to Itar-Tass, during this phone conversation, Ibrahim al-Jaafari discussed the latest developments concerning Turkey's 'illegal military invasion in northern Iraq' and Baghdad's complaint to the United Nations about it. The report indicates that Sergey Lavrov also expressed Russia's firm support for Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and supported Iraq's legal actions based on international customs and UN laws. According to Reuters, the Iraqi government officially complained to the UN Security Council on Friday regarding the presence of Turkish military forces at the 'Bashika' camp near Mosul. In its complaint to the Security Council, Iraq described the presence of Turkish military forces in the north of the country and demanded their 'immediate and unconditional withdrawal.' Last week, reports about the movement of a Turkish armored brigade to the 'Bashika' camp in northern Mosul in Nineveh province caused tensions between Ankara and Baghdad. Iraq summoned the Turkish ambassador, and Turkey stated that these forces were sent to the region for training volunteers and would not leave northern Iraq. Meanwhile, reports indicate that on Saturday at least four thousand people protested in central Baghdad against the presence of Turkish military forces in northern Iraq. According to Reuters, the protesters gathered in 'Tahrir Square,' chanting slogans like 'Death to Turkey and Death to Erdogan' and burned the Turkish flag. The report also mentioned that thousands of Iraqis marched in Basra in southern Iraq. Previously, Turkey stated that the 'Bashika' training camp, located 30 kilometers northeast of Mosul, was established in coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and the Mosul governorate. The city of Mosul, with a population of over one million, was captured by the Islamic State group last summer. Since then, Iraqi officials have indicated the possibility of launching operations to liberate this city, but for various reasons, such operations have been delayed.