Opposition commander urges Turkey to join Mosul battle
Turkish troops should take part in the ongoing operation to retake Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, from Daesh, a commander linked to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) told Anadolu Agency yesterday.
Shihli Shihli, co mmander of the Sultan Murad Brigade, a branch of the FSA, said he was concerned about Shia militias insisting on joining the operation to free Mosul from Daesh.
"Turkey should join the Mosul operation because it has very strong and experienced soldiers," Shihli said. He added Turkey had never made any demands regarding taking oil from Mosul. "Iraq is an oil-rich country. But, we know that Turkey doesn't demand [to take] any oil-rich soil in Iraq," he said. He warned that if al-Hashdi al-Shaabi, a Shiite militia group, joined the Mosul operation, then the future of Iraq and regional peace itself could be in jeopardy.
Shihli Shihli, co mmander of the Sultan Murad Brigade, a branch of the FSA, said he was concerned about Shia militias insisting on joining the operation to free Mosul from Daesh.
"Turkey should join the Mosul operation because it has very strong and experienced soldiers," Shihli said. He added Turkey had never made any demands regarding taking oil from Mosul. "Iraq is an oil-rich country. But, we know that Turkey doesn't demand [to take] any oil-rich soil in Iraq," he said. He warned that if al-Hashdi al-Shaabi, a Shiite militia group, joined the Mosul operation, then the future of Iraq and regional peace itself could be in jeopardy.