Iraq's government has official issued a statement condemning Turkey's current plans of deploying its troops in the country. For this to follow through on an international level, the government of Iraq has further requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the 'unwanted' Turkish presence in Iraq given how the Ankara dispute has been escalating.
Referencing Mag Series, the Parliament of Turkey voted on extending its troop deployment by 2000 across Iraq's northern region where terrorist forces are supposedly at play. Iraq's staunch detestation over this matter suggests that Turkey's action could trigger a fallout of a potentially a full-blown regional war.
Turkey claims that due strong ties with the Kurdish regional government, its military has set-foot in northern Iraq only at the invitation of Masoud Barzani. However, Baghdad denies any such invitation. Majority of the Turkish troops are camped in Bashiqa where they're training Iraqi and Kurdish Sunni fighters.
With rising grievances from both sides, Iraq has initiated an offensive backed by the U.S to regain control over the last major city under ISIS since the past two years. Meanwhile, Turkey fears that this campaign will ripple a wave of refugees towards Turkey and consequentially into Europe.
Another concern for Ankara is Baghdad's Shiite forces that stand ready to topple Mosul's largely Sunni population and worsen ethnic strife prevalent in the region. The Prime Minister of Turkey expressed his concerns over this matter, strictly emphasizing that the Sunni make-up of northern Iraq stays the way it is despite Baghdad's efforts to spread its Shiite influence.
What's in store for the two countries if the conflict doesn't subside any time soon? Let's hope that the U.N takes certain measures to pacify both sides in efforts to promote peace and prosperity amidst the atmosphere of terrorism and ISIS prevalent in the region.
