Turkey to hand over military camp in northern Iraq to Baghdad

Turkey and Iraq have reached an agreement for Turkish forces to gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zelikan military camp in northern Iraq to the Iraqi government. The deal was announced following talks between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

In a joint statement, the leaders also agreed to deepen security cooperation and end the presence of "outlawed armed elements," referring to Kurdish militants, in northern Iraq, particularly in the Sinjar area. Turkey has been pursuing a peace process aimed at disarming the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and ending a long-standing conflict.

An Iraqi military commander familiar with the discussions indicated that the phased withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Bashiqa camp and another small base near Mosul is anticipated to conclude by the end of this year. Turkey initially deployed troops to the Bashiqa base in 2015, stating their purpose was to train and protect Iraqi forces and local fighters in their battle against the Islamic State. This deployment had previously led to a dispute with Baghdad, which demanded the withdrawal of Turkish troops.

The leaders also addressed bilateral relations and trade, emphasizing the importance of implementing existing agreements and accelerating strategic projects.