Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Iraqi Armed Forces, acknowledged that Iraqi authorities were engaged in talks with Türkiye on the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the handover of Turkish military bases in the country to Iraqi forces.
Speaking to Ihlas News Agency (IHA) on Monday, al-Numan said the plan for withdrawal and handover was expected to be fully implemented after the terrorist group PKK handed over its weapons. The PKK, which has killed thousands of people in terror attacks across Türkiye since the 1980s, has camps in northern Iraq, in rugged territory where the group has dug extensive tunnel networks as hideouts. As part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative, the PKK agreed to lay down its arms and dissolve itself last year. Türkiye is currently monitoring the process in Iraq in coordination with local authorities.
Over the past decades, Türkiye has carried out several cross-border military operations in northern Iraq to eliminate PKK terrorists and set up outposts. It also has a base in Bashiqa, the furthest from the Turkish border. The Bashiqa base was established in 2015, particularly to support the fight against Daesh in Sinjar, where PKK members sought to take control after the expulsion of Daesh.
Türkiye and Iraq agreed last Wednesday to deepen security cooperation, restore full Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and begin the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base to Baghdad under an agreed timetable. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the steps in a joint statement following talks in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The two leaders reviewed the strategic relationship between Türkiye and Iraq and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation across a range of areas, with security taking a central role in the discussions. Under the agreement, the two countries will work toward fully restoring Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of banned foreign armed groups in the area.
As progress is made in implementing the security measures, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to Iraq's federal government in accordance with a mutually agreed mechanism and timetable, the statement said. U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack welcomed the latest agreement, saying it served both "Iraqi sovereignty and Turkish security." The two countries also agreed to strengthen trade ties, swiftly implement existing agreements and accelerate strategic projects.
Al-Numan said they currently had a timetable set for Sept. 30 for the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces fighting Daesh and that they were also engaged in talks with armed groups for their disarmament. “We hope to close this case soon,” he said.
He said they had a common understanding with Türkiye on the withdrawal and handover of the bases and that Baghdad was also engaged in discussions with Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the north on ending the presence of the PKK and its affiliates in the country. Al-Numan underlined that Türkiye and Iraq had historic relations and deep-rooted bonds. “I believe security and stability in Iraq and agreements on security will also have an impact on economic ties between the two countries,” he said.
The spokesperson said Türkiye and Iraq still had memoranda on security that were set to be implemented, but they continued cooperation and information and intelligence sharing. He pointed out that Türkiye favored stability in Iraq and praised Ankara’s support for his country in the field of counterterrorism.
