Turkey says has duty to protect its soldiers carrying out training in Iraq

Turkey has a duty to protect its soldiers around the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul and they are there simply to train and advise Iraqi colleagues, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Monday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Sunday Baghdad might turn to the UN Security Council if Turkish troops sent to northern Iraq were not withdrawn within 48 hours.

Abadi said the deployment of hundreds of Turkish forces happened without the approval or knowledge of the Iraqi government and described their deployment as a violation of national sovereignty.

But in an interview on Turkey's Kanal 24 television, Çavuşoğlu said Abadi had repeatedly requested more active Turkish support against ISIL. He said he believed other countries had played a role in Iraq's reaction.

"It is our duty to provide security for our soldiers providing training there," Çavuşoğlu said...
 [ todayszaman.com by Reuters]
 7/12/15
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