Ankara, Oct. 1 (SANA) Türkiye will gradually hand over its Bashiqa-Zilkan military base near Mosul to Iraqi authorities under an agreement between the two countries, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Thursday.
The ministry said on X that the decision followed progress by the Iraqi government in implementing security measures in the Sinjar region.
Türkiye deployed troops near Mosul in 2015, saying their mission was to train and protect Iraqi forces and local Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish fighters preparing for operations against ISIS, which had seized Mosul the previous year.
The handover comes as Iraq assumes greater responsibility for its security following the end of the international coalition’s mission against ISIS in the country.
Al-Zaidi said Wednesday that the coalition’s mission in Iraq had officially ended and that the country was entering a new phase in which it would assume full responsibility for its security and stability.
R.D/ABD
