150 Turkish soldiers, supported by 25 heavy tanks were sent to the city of Bashiqa, in northern Iraq, not far from Mosul, under the control of the Islamic State. This is what the major Turkish newspapers report.
The incoming troops will go to replace those deployed two years ago in the region, to train Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces.
According to the United States, the new redeployment is part of an internal agreement signed between Turkey and Iraq. There would be no US and Coalition involvement.
Despite the proximity to the Iraqi capital of the Islamic State, the Turks have already dealt with the Caliphate. In June 2014, after taking the city, the Islamic State kidnapped the 49 men of the Turkish consulate in Mosul. They were then released in September, unharmed, after secret negotiations conducted by the Ankara intelligence agency, in exchange for the release of some jihadist prisoners held in Turkey.
Long criticized by international public opinion for its lack of effort in stemming the rise of the extremist group, Turkey then joined the US-led coalition only last July.
(photo: Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri)
