US trying to negotiate a role for Turkey in Mosul offensive

(October 22) Ashton Carter, U.S. Secretary of Defence said that he was confident that Turkey would be able to play a role in the offensive designed to liberate the city of Mosul from the Islamic State.

After a visit to Turkey, Carter said:

"I think there is agreement there in principle. Iraq understands that Turkey as a member of the counter-ISIL (IS) coalition will play a role in counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and secondly that Turkey since it neighbours the region of Mosul has an interest (in) the ultimate outcome in Mosul. I am confident that we can work things out and there are things that would be productive for Turkey to do and we just need to work through these practicalities."

A senior US official said that Turkey could provide medical or humanitarian support or train Iraqi forces. Relationships between Turkey and the Iraqi federal government have been strained. Baghdad has called for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraq. The troops are stationed at Bashiga near Mosul at the invitation of the Kurdish regional government. Turkey is concerned that the Mosul operation will be spearhead by Shiite militias and also perhaps by some of the Kurdish groups it opposes. Mosul has many Sunni inhabitants.

Turkey had earlier expressed frustration that as a NATO member it has not been asked to be involved in the offensive on Mosul. Mosul was once part of the Ottoman Empire and is still seen by president Erdogan as within the Turkish sphere of influence. However, Iraq is concerned with any attempts by Turkey to expand its influence into Iraq. The Mosul area may also be a source of friction with the Kurdish regional government as the area is rich in oil resources.

Carter made it clear that the exact role of Turkey in the campaign had not yet been worked out. Carter voiced conditional support for Turkey playing some role in the offensive. The Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik, who met with Carter, also claimed that there was agreement in principle on Turkish involvement in "determining the future of Mosul". He also said that the US, Turkey, and Iraq should work together on the issue in order to reduce tensions between Ankara and Baghdad.

Carter met also with Binali Yildirim, the Turkish Prime Minister. Earlier this week Yildirim insisted that Turkish jets woulld be deployed at some point during the offensive against Mosul. Mosul is around five times the size of any other city that the IS has been able to hold. The US is also raising the issue of Turkish participation in regular talks with the Iraqi leaderhip. Turkey is already angry at the US for its support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG which has become a key ally for the US fight against IS in Syria whereas Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group.

The US hopes that Turkey will agree to some role in the Mosul offensive that will not anger Baghdad such as medical and humanitarian support, as mentioned earlier. Iraqi officials have made it clear they do not want Turkey involved in the ground invasion.

Iraq wants Turkish troops out of Iraq and not to take part in Mosul offensive

Iraq's Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi has warned Turkey that by keeping its troops in Iraq it risks a regional war. Turkey's parliament voted just last week to extend its military presence in Iraq for a year to help battle terrorist organizations.

Terrorist organizations for Turkey include not just the Islamic State but also some Kurdish groups such as the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK). The Iraqi parliament voted Tuesday night to condemn the Turkish decision to stay in Iraq. Al-Abadi warned on TV: "We have asked the Turkish side more than once not to intervene in Iraqi matters and I fear the Turkish adventure could turn into a regional war. The Turkish leadership's behavior is not acceptable and we don't want to get into a military confrontation with Turkey."

Turkey's military presence in Iraq is at the invitation of Masoud Barzani, who is president of the Kurdish regional government with which Turkey has solid ties. Most Turkish troops are at Bashiga a base north of Mosul. The Turks are training Kurdish peshmerga and Sunni fighters in preparation for the offensive against the city of Mosul. Numan Kuirtulmus, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister says the troop presence became necessary as the Islamic State captured Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, in 2014: "Neither Turkey's presence in Bashiqa nor its operation right now in Syrian territory are aimed at occupying or interfering with the domestic affairs of these countries." However, since the Turks never sought permission from the central government to send troops, the Baghdad government regards them as occupiers.

Turkey is worried that the offensive against Mosul, especially if led by the Shiite militia could result in many refugees fleeing to Turkey. Turkey is concerned that ethnic strife between Sunnis and Shiites will increase. It also worries about involvement of some Kurdish groups, as well as the fate of the minority Turkmen population of Mosul.

The Mosul Museum Library before it was burned to the ground by ISIS members.

Assyrian Voice

Turkey summoned the Iraqi ambassador to complain about the condemnation of the Turkish military presence in the Iraqi parliament. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said: "We believe this decision does not reflect the views of the majority of Iraqi people, whom Turkey has stood by for years and attempted to support with all its resources. We find it noteworthy that the Iraqi parliament, which has not said anything about the accepted mandate for years, puts this on the agenda as though it were a new development in times when terror is taking so many lives in Turkey and Iraq." In turn, on Wednesday, Iraq summoned the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad in order to protest what Iraq said were provocative comments about the Turkish troop deployment.

Kurdish and Turkmen members of the Kurdish parliament in northern Iraq called Baghdad's description of Turkish troops as "occupiers" as politically motivated. Renas Jano, an MP for the Kurdistan Democratic Party(KDP) said: "Iraqi politicians always refer to the country’s ‘sovereignty and independence’ when it suits their interests. Now they’re using the mantra of ‘national sovereignty’ to criticize Turkey’s military presence in northern Iraq." He noted that Baghdad was not complaining about the rival Kurdish PKK group operating in Iraq. The PKK is regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey. Jano said that with the PKK operating in Iraq the presence of Turkish troops was necessary for security.

Turkish troops drive their anti-mine Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) past shepherds on a road near the Syrian village of Tuwairan, located around 2km of al-Rai, the small border town with Turkey

Nazeer al-Khatib, AFP/File

Another MP for the KDP led by Barzani questioned why the presence of Turkish troops were questioned while troops from other foreign countries had been accepted. He wondered why there were not demands for them to leave. The obvious difference is that US and other coalition forces are present in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraq federal government. The Turkish forces are not.

Aydi Maruf an MP for the Iraqi Turkmen Front said that because of the ethinic makeup of Mosul it had cultural affinity with Turkey. Manuf worried that if the offensive were led by Shia militia this would create tension with the Sunni majority in Mosul.

The federal Iraqi government has protested a number of times at the Turkish troop deployment and even demanded their immediate withdrawal. Iraqi Kurdistan along with Turkey appear able to ignore the complaints from Baghdad. There may be conflict between Kurdistan and the central government after Mosul is liberated as the two governments may not agree on who is to govern Mosul. The region is oil rich and the Kurds would no doubt like it to be part of Iraqi Kurdistan.Turkey is anxious to play a role in the Mosul offensive but an Iraqi security official said: "The Iraqi government seeks to make clear that there is absolutely no role for Turkish forces in the Iraqi sphere. Any movement or intervention by Turkish forces (deployed in Iraq) during the military operations (to re-take Mosul), would be faced with a very strong response." Iraq requested that the UN Security Council meet on Thursday to discuss "the Turkish takeover of Iraqi territory and its interference in its internal affairs."

Iraqis hold crossed-out portraits of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a December 2015 demonstration to demand the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraq

Ahmad Al-Rubaye, AFP/File

Iraqi security forces will be backed by a US-led coalition plus a group of mainly Shia militias called the Popular Mobilisation Forces(PMF). The PMF were established by the Iraqi government back in June of 2014 to fight the Islamic State(IS). Iraq has already won back 70 percent of the territory it originally lost to the IS. Two of the main members of the PMF have threatened to attack Turkiish forces if they take part in the offensive against Mosul or even if they remain in Bashiqa. Spokesperson, for the PMF Ahmad-Al-Assadi said: “We consider them an occupation force and we will deal with them on this basis. As long as they are seen as occupiers, we have a right to adopt all available means to deal with the occupiers.” Defeating the IS is just one of many problems faced by those planning an assault on Mosul.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/iraq-and-turkey-at-odds-over-turkish-troop-presence-in-iraq/article/476617#ixzz4NHtxmK9p

Baghdad demands Turkish troops withdraw from northern Iraq

The central Iraqi government in Baghdad has demanded that Turkey immediately withdraw troops in the northern Nineveh area near the city of Mosul that is occupied by the Islamic State or Daesh.

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that no permission had been granted for "around one armed battalion" of Turkish troops to be in the area. Al-Abadi issued a statement saying:"We have confirmed that Turkish forces, numbering about one armored regiment with a number of tanks and artillery, entered the Iraqi province of Ninawa… allegedly to train Iraqi groups, without a request or authorization from Iraqi federal authorities."He also said that the deployment was a serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty. However, the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu said that the troops were part of an training mission requested both by Mosul's governor, Atheel Nujaifi, and was coordinated by the Iraqi defence ministry. Turkish media reported that around 150 Turkish soldiers backed by 20 to 25 tanks had been sent to the Bashiqa area northeast of Mosul.

An Al Jazeera reporter confirmed that the Turkish troops appear to have been invited to the area by the Mosul governor:"It seems like the government of Mosul has told Baghdad: 'We need more help with fighting ISIL, and if the Turks are willing to offer that help, we will take them up on that'." However, the Iraqi foreign ministry issued a statement on state TV that the presence of the troops was "an incursion".

Iraq's foreign ministry had earlier said in a statement on state television that the Turkish deployment was "an incursion". A senior Kurdish military officer based on the front-line just north of Mosul said that additional Turkish trainers arrived at the camp on Thursday with a Turkish protection force escorting them. He claimed that training had been going on for two or three years already.US defence officials said they were aware of the Turkish deployment but they were not party of the US-led coalition operations.

Iraq oil minister slams KRG on Turkey trip

There is still no sign of a federal oil bill being passed after almost a year so it is not too surprising that the KRG is going its own way. However, it is the Kurdish reluctance to give much power over oil to the central government that is part of the problem. The issue is not likely to go away. This is from UPI.

Iraq oil minister slams KRG on Turkey trip


Published: March 10, 2008 at 9:22 PM
Print story Email to a friend Font size:ANKARA, Turkey, March 10 (UPI) -- Iraq's oil minister reaffirmed ties with Turkey and rejected Iraqi Kurdistan's oil deals in visits to Ankara over the weekend.

Turkey, which wants to further develop Iraq oil and gas to ship to and through its territory, is also sparring with Iraq's Kurds over rebels in the northern Iraq mountains.

Hussain al-Shahristani made overtures to Turkey on a project to build a refinery in Iraq, which badly needs fuels, and other joint projects between the countries' respective oil firms, Today's Zaman reports.

Iraq already has a pipeline sending oil to a Turkish port. The countries have talked of adding another line and increasing flow, which is below capacity, as well as adding a parallel line to send Iraqi gas north.

"Iraq is open to the world when it comes to oil cooperation especially with the neighboring countries," Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told United Press International last week. He said the pipeline is sending between 250,000 and 350,000 barrels per day to Turkey, and the short-term goal is 500,000. Jihad said gas in Iraq's western desert could be developed and sent to Turkey, and on to Europe, via Syria as well.

"So Turkey is a spot of our oil and gas transferring to the outside world," he said.

After a meeting with Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler, Shahristani assured "all contracts will be handled by the central government, referring to the Kurdistan Regional Government's dozens of oil deals with international oil companies.

The move, as well as a regional oil law, has challenged Baghdad's control over the oil sector in Iraq. Shahristani has called the deals illegal, stopped oil sales to two firms that signed with the KRG and threatened to keep all such firms out of future Iraqi oil deals.

Turkey views the deals as emboldening Iraq's Kurds, possibly bolstering their future call for an independent state and empowering Turkey's sizeable Kurdish population. Turkey has recently stepped up attacks, including a five-day incursion, on the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party's camps in northern Iraq mountains. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, Turkey and, ostensibly, Iraq. The organization has killed tens of thousands in its decades-long quest for Kurdish independence and human rights in Turkey.

In an opening on Turkish-Kurdish relations, the Iraq delegation was led by President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.