Turkish Troops Will Stay in Iraq, PM Yildirim Says

Turkish troops will remain in the camp in the northern Iraqi town of Bashiqa despite Baghdad's objections, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution voicing protest against Turkish military presence in Bashiqa, located about 19 miles northeast of Mosul. The lawmakers demand its government to take the necessary legal and diplomatic measures, including a review of the economic relations between the two countries. Ankara has condemned the resolution.

"There are soldiers from 63 countries in Iraq. Claims toward Turkey about its military presence there are an unfriendly step. Turkey will maintain its presence in Iraq," Yildirim said at a meeting with businesspersons in Ankara.

Turkey's deployment of troops and tanks to reportedly to help national forces reclaim the city of Mosul from Daesh jihadists on December 4, 2015, has caused a rift with Iraq.