Turkish Forces Move from Bashika

By Simon Kent.

Turkish forces at the centre of a row that has ignited passions over Iraqi sovereignty, have moved from their base in the Iraqi Kurdish area of Bashika.

However, the soldiers are apparently not being withdrawn from Iraqi territory but are being re-located, according to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Defence.

Baghdad has pressured Turkey to remove the troops, and protests have been held by Iraqis who view the deployment of the training force as an invasion. The forces were stationed as part of a training agreement between the Kurdish Iraqi government of the KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) and Ankara.

Since the troops are still in Iraq, the row is likely to continue, and Turkey will be unlikely to advise its citizens that it is safe to return to Iraq.

(Source: BBC News.)