Iraq summons Turkish ambassador over deployment of troops

Iraq's Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad on Saturday over the deployment of Turkish forces near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and demand their immediate withdrawal.

150 Turkish soldiers equipped with heavy weapons arrived on Friday at the outskirts of Daesh-held Mosul in Northern Iraq.

Turkish officials told Daily Sabah that Turkish soldiers were accompained by armored vehicles in Mosul operation with US-led coalition forces.

"Turkish soldiers have reached the Mosul Bashiqa region. They are there as part of routine training exercises. One battalion has crossed into the region," the source said. The Turkish soldiers are training Iraqi troops, he added.

Sources told Daily Sabah that Turkey has trained 2,500 troops from the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, 1,250 from the Arab troops and the aim is to increase this number to 14,000 troops.

A US official told Daily Sabah that the operation was conducted within the US-led coalition's knowledge but coalition forces did not take part in the operation.