Turkey is preparing for a possible refugee influx from the Iraqi city of Mosul amid talk of an international military campaign on the city that is currently under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said on Friday.
"The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority [AFAD] had the organizational capabilities to allow into Turkey 197,000 people from Kobani in three days," Kurtulmuş said Thursday during his visit to Morocco. "In this regard, we are making all kinds of preparations."
He added that Turkey was preparing for all contingencies, working on refugee response issues such as the first encounter, border crossings, accommodation, food supplies and healthcare services.
Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, has been under ISIS control since June 2014
The U.S. Central Command has recently divulged plans for a military offensive to take back Mosul by the U.S.-led coalition and the Iraqi government. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had later criticized the disclosure of the military plans for a spring attack, calling the Feb. 19 U.S. Central Command statement "incorrect."
Turkey, included in the coalition but not actively participating in military operations, has vowed support for Baghdad in the event of a potential military campaign. Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz has said: "Turkey is ready to provide intelligence and logistical support in Iraq's anti-terror fight."
