Turkish Foreign Minister to Iraq: If You Are Powerful, Why Did You Surrender Mosul to ISIS?

In the ongoing political dispute between high-ranking officials of Turkey and Iraq regarding the battle on Iraqi soil, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, described Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as 'weak' on Wednesday. These remarks from the Turkish Foreign Minister came after the Iraqi Prime Minister warned against any Turkish military presence in his country, stating that any aggression would face a decisive response. However, Mr. Cavusoglu, on Wednesday, November 3, addressed the Iraqi government in a television program, saying, 'If you have power, why did you surrender Mosul to a terrorist group? If you are so powerful, why has the PKK occupied your land for years?' Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, was occupied by fighters from the Islamic State group (ISIS) in the summer of 2014. Additionally, the headquarters and camps of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have long been located in the northern mountains of Iraq. Referring to these issues, the Turkish Foreign Minister added to the Iraqi Prime Minister, 'You cannot even fight a terrorist group; you are weak.' The verbal war and tension between the Turkish and Iraqi governments have escalated in recent months, starting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's attacks on Mr. al-Abadi. Turkish military forces have long established a military base in northern Iraq by entering the country and are providing military training to Sunni militants and the Peshmerga of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Recently, dozens of Turkish military vehicles and artillery have been dispatched to the Silopi area near the Iraqi border. The Iraqi government has strongly criticized Turkey's actions and demanded an end to the violation of its territorial integrity by Ankara.