Arab League Chief Calls Turkish Military in Iraq Violation of Int'l Law

CAIRO (Sputnik) — The presence of Turkish troops in Iraq is a violation of international law and Iraq's sovereignty, Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil Elaraby said Thursday.

"The presence of Turkish troops deep in the Iraqi territory is a blatant violation of the international law and Iraq's sovereignty," Elaraby said at the opening of an Arab League emergency meeting on Turkish military intervention in Iraq.

On December 4, Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to the Bashiqa camp in the northern Iraqi province, without Baghdad’s approval, allegedly as part of an international mission to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS or Daesh in Arabic), a group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

The move caused tensions between Baghdad and Ankara. Iraq officially filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, calling on the United Nations to ensure an immediate pullout of the Turkish forces from its country.

On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Ankara would continue to withdraw its military troops from the Bashiqa base to another base in Iraq.