Turkey Announces Gradual Handover of 'Bashiq' Base to Iraq
Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the start of the gradual handover of the Bashiq base to Iraq as part of a withdrawal process ending by the end of this year.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Istanbul, Jan 1 (KUNA) -- The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that it has decided to gradually hand over the Bazhika Zalekan base, located near Mosul, to Iraqi authorities in accordance with the agreed mechanism. The ministry said in a statement that the transfer of the Bazhika base comes in light of the progress made by the Iraqi government in implementing security measures in Sinjar. The gradual withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Bazhika camp and another small base near Mosul is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Turkey’s handover of the base to the federal authorities in Iraq comes as Iraq entered a new security and political phase on October 1, following the completion of the withdrawal of U.S. and international coalition forces from Iraqi soil and the end of the military mission of Operation Inherent Resolve against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). (End)
