Turkish Prime Minister: Peshmerga Requested Help, We Will Provide Military Support

Binali Yıldırım, the Prime Minister of Turkey, states that the presence of the Turkish army in northern Iraq is in response to a request from Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and Turkish troops are providing military support for their battles against the group known as the 'Islamic State.' According to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu, the attack by the armed Kurdish forces on Bashiqa has received artillery and tank support from Turkey. On November 2, Mr. Yıldırım, after a meeting with members of Turkey's ruling party, the 'Justice and Development Party,' stated, 'The Peshmerga [of Iraqi Kurdistan] have begun the operation to cleanse the city of Bashiqa... They requested help from our army at the Bashiqa base, and we are assisting them with artillery fire, tanks, and armored vehicles.' The Bashiqa base is located 20 kilometers northeast of Mosul, and Turkish military forces remain there despite strong objections from the Prime Minister of Iraq. The recent statements from the Turkish Prime Minister come after Haider al-Abadi, the head of the Iraqi Council of Ministers, stated that there is no need for Turkish assistance in the battles for Mosul. Anadolu reports, citing Kurdish officials, that the Peshmerga have succeeded in taking control of the city of Bashiqa during the 'liberation of Mosul' operation on Sunday. Kurdish media outlets, including the 'Kurdistan 24' news network (in Erbil), report that Kurdish officials have neither confirmed nor denied the military presence or intervention of Turkish forces in support of the Peshmerga. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Iraqi Kurdish forces received air support from the U.S.-led coalition in the battle for control of this city. For weeks prior to the start of the Mosul operation, relations between Baghdad and Ankara had become tense and crisis-ridden due to the military presence of the Turkish army in northern Iraq. The Iraqi government has demanded the withdrawal of Turkish forces, but Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized in several speeches that Turkish forces do not require permission from Baghdad to be present in Iraq or to conduct operations there. Ankara claims to support the Sunnis and Turkmen of Iraq. Binali Yıldırım also emphasized in his recent remarks that his country is taking steps to combat terrorism 'both inside and outside its borders': 'We take necessary steps to protect the territorial integrity of the country and the solidarity and unity of our nation, and we have no fear in this regard.' The central government of Iraq, on the other hand, has accused Turkey of threatening its territorial integrity and has requested a meeting in the United Nations Security Council regarding this matter. Turkish army forces, while engaged with militants of the group known as the Islamic State in northern Syria, have also conducted extensive attacks against several Kurdish militants in both Syria and Iraq. Two days ago, the U.S. Secretary of Defense stated that preserving Iraq's territorial integrity is a priority for the Washington-led coalition. Ashton Carter recently made a trip to the region, reportedly partly aimed at reducing recent tensions.