PM: Turkish troops no threat to Iraq

ANKARA

Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that the presence of Turkish forces in Bashiqa does not pose a threat to the territorial integrity of Iraq but represents a strong entity against terrorism.

Davutoglu’s remarks came before an official visit to Bulgaria at a press conference in Ankara Esenboga Airport.

“We defend Iraq’s territorial integrity more than anyone. Nobody can doubt Turkey’s good intentions. Similarly, Turkey’s counterterrorism is an act of principle which cannot be questioned.”

The premier further said Turkey has been combatting terrorism without taking into consideration the identity of the terrorists.

"If one day the Baghdad administration establishes full authority in Mosul or even the Turkish-Iraqi border, and clears up the PKK and Daesh elements there, then Turkey will not need to send its troops to Iraq or another country by taking risks.

“[However,] until that day comes, Turkey will take measures within the context of its own national security if it has to. Nobody should take offence from this or infer a negative meaning from that,” Davutoglu added.

He also said there was close coordination with the U.S. on the issue. “Within this framework, we have a close coordination with the U.S., Iraq and Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government. Meetings can be held within the framework of this coordination. For now Turkey's position has been explained to other parties in a crystal clear way," he said.

A Turkish military source said earlier Monday that part of the Turkish troops deployed in Bashiqa had been transferred to another part of northern Iraq.

Baghdad complained about the Dec. 4 deployment of troops to the site near Mosul, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and insisting the Turkish forces be withdrawn.

Turkey said that the 150 soldiers and up to 25 tanks were stationed in Bashiqa to protect Turkish servicemen training Iraqi volunteers to fight Daesh. The training mission has been in Iraq since March and is not assigned to combat duties.

About the curfew imposed on Turkey's southeastern province Sirnak's Cizre and Silopi districts, Davutoglu said that the aim of the curfew was to conduct operations against the terrorist organization PKK and prevent it from killing civilians.

"A security environment will be established in Cizre and Silopi entirely. The door of politics is open to those that want to do politics. The ones that want to defend their most outrageous opinions, [I dare them to] bring it on. Let them defend it. They should tell whatever they want to tell in wherever.

“But the ones that think they can create similar scenes [of chaos] from Iraq and Syria [in our country], the ones that want to spread that fire across Turkey must know that orders given to our security forces by our government is clear. In this circle of fire, we will turn both Cizre and Silopi and all our districts, [and] every piece of [our] homeland into a full area of peace, stability and freedom," he said.

Sirnak Governor Ali Ihsan Su announced a new curfew in Cizre and Silopi districts Monday. Many citizens have reportedly left the district before the curfew was imposed.

The aim of the curfew is to neutralize PKK terrorists and clear out the region from landmines, ditches and barricades that were placed by PKK terrorists, in order to restore public order and the security of life and property of the citizens.