Baghdad Denies Daesh Attack on Turkish Forces in Iraq

Iraq's joint operations command refuted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that Daesh militants had attacked Turkish forces in northern Iraq, media reports said.

A statement by Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about a Daesh attack on Turkish troops in northern Iraq and armed clashes between Turkish forces and the militants there holds no water, according to Iraq's joint operations command.

"The joint operations command denies there was an attack by Daesh terrorists on the position of Turkish forces in Bashiqa," sources said on Saturday.

Also, sources said that "the joint operations command denies what was relayed in some media outlets from the Turkish President about clashing between the Turkish forces inside Iraqi territory and the terrorist Daesh whether in Bashiqa or any other areas."

#Iraq's joint operation command categorically denies any Daesh attack on Turkish forces in Bashiqa. #Turkey

— Salah Al Nasarwi (@SalahAlnasrawi) 9 января 2016

On Friday, Erdogan claimed that at least eighteen Daesh terrorists were killed after they attacked the Bashiqa training camp in northern Iraq. Erdogan said that a Daesh attack on the military base showed that Ankara's decision to send Turkish forces to the outskirts of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul had been justified.

On December 4, Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to a base in the Iraqi province of Nineveh, without Baghdad's approval.

According to Ankara, the aim of the deployment was to provide security to Turkish soldiers deployed earlier to train Kurdish militia who are fighting Islamic State (ISIL), also known as Daesh in Arabic, a group which is outlawed in a number of countries, including Russia.

Iraq has rejected the claims, stressing that the Turkish military presence had not been requested. Russia has described the incident as a breach of international law.