Turkish PM and Iraqi counterpart agree on future of Bashiqa

The leaders of the neighbouring countries worked out a deal that would see Turkish forces leave the northern town of Bashiqa near Mosul

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim (L) arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for an official visit to Iraq.
TRT World and Agencies

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim (L) arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for an official visit to Iraq.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over the Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from a town near Mosul in the north of the country.

Abadi was speaking after he met his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim, who arrived in Baghdad on an official visit earlier in the day.

Turkish forces have been stationed in the Iraqi town of Bashiqa since before a recent offensive against Daesh in northern Iraq.

Tensions rose between Iraq and Turkey in October 2016 over the continued presence of Turkish forces in Bashiqa and elsewhere in northern Iraq, just as a US-backed offensive to drive Daesh out of Mosul was set to begin.

The Turkish Prime Minister is also expected to hold meetings with Iraqi President Fuad Masum as well as Speaker of Parliament Salim al-Jabouri.

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