Bashiqa-Zilkan, a key Turkish base in Iraq, will soon be handed over to Iraqi authorities while Turkish troops are expected to withdraw from the country. The development, which comes amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, which remained there as part of an anti-Daesh coalition, signals the start of a new era for Iraq and Türkiye. The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday that the handover of the base did not mean an end to cooperation with Iraq and, on the contrary, Türkiye would continue supporting Iraq’s security and stability.
Türkiye and Iraq agreed earlier this month 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 ministry said Türkiye welcomed steps to ensure state authority in Sinjar. The base was set up in 2015 to help Iraq fight against Daesh and later maintained its presence when the terrorist group PKK sought to replace Daesh following the liberation of Sinjar.
“These steps will contribute to normalization of the region, establishing an environment of security and stability and a terror-free region,” the ministry said, using an expression referring to Ankara’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, which aims to disarm the PKK.
The statement also said it was decided to gradually hand over the compound to the central government in Baghdad, “based on improvement of security in Sinjar.”
“Our country, as it did in the past, stands with our neighbor Iraq in terms of maintaining an environment of security and stability. Throughout future contacts, we are planning to take steps that will further advance military and security cooperation. We will continue supporting Iraq’s armed forces in increasing military capacity, sharing know-how in counterterrorism and in the fields of military training and defense industry cooperation, based on bilateral agreements,” the ministry stated.
Ayhan Sarı, an assistant professor at the Turkish-German University and a security and foreign policy expert at the Turkish Research Foundation (TAV), noted that Türkiye’s withdrawal was linked to ending the PKK’s presence in Sinjar and the re-establishment of Baghdad’s authority there.
Sarı told Daily Sabah that Türkiye has been in Iraq as an exercise of its right to self-defense under international law, particularly Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right to individual and collective self-defense against armed attacks. “Türkiye’s presence in Iraq has been due to the PKK threat in the north. (The dissolution) of the PKK will remove the need to remain in Iraq,” Sarı said.
He noted that the PKK and other terrorist groups had, for years, filled the power vacuum that emerged in Iraq’s northern region following the beginning of the Iraq War.
“Iraq’s central government claims it can find a solution to this vacuum through recent steps and establish full authority within its borders after the U.S. withdrawal,” Sarı said.
A U.S.-led coalition deployed in Iraq more than a decade ago against Daesh formally concluded its mission on Wednesday. Daesh was largely expelled from Iraq and Syria, also thanks to Türkiye’s cross-border operations in Assad-era Syria, but U.S. forces remained. Washington and Baghdad reached an agreement two years ago to wind down the mission.
Sarı said it was only natural that Türkiye was supportive of Iraq’s steps to ensure security on its own, since Ankara was committed to developing good relations with its neighbors and centered its foreign policy on peace and stability.
“As it did in Syria, Türkiye sides with central authority, stability and security in Iraq. Türkiye will support this move and will do whatever it can to ensure that this mission succeeds in maintaining stability and security, based on its neighborly relations,” he said.
Sarı added that Iraq’s efforts were compatible with Türkiye’s foreign policy and plans. “Iraq’s success will also mean the complete expulsion of the PKK from that country. This expulsion, removal of this malignant tumor between Türkiye and Iraq, will certainly add momentum to Turkish-Iraqi relations,” he also stated.
