Iraq and Turkey have closed an agreement this Wednesday to reinforce the presence of the Iraqi state in Sinjar, a locality near the Turkish border, and for the gradual transfer of a military base located in the north of the country, in the vicinity of Mosul, currently under Ankara's control.
The understanding has been made public after the meeting held between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which is holding its 81st session this week in New York.
During the meeting, both leaders analyzed the state of the strategic relationship between Baghdad and Ankara and the ways to intensify bilateral cooperation in various fields, with security as one of the priorities shared by both governments.
In this line, Al Zaidi and Erdogan have decided to "extend the full authority of the Iraqi state in Sinjar to put an end to the presence of prohibited foreign armed elements," as indicated by a joint statement released after the meeting.
The pact also includes that "Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp to the Iraqi federal government," following a mechanism and timelines already agreed upon, as Baghdad reinforces its security measures in the vicinity of this military facility, located near Mosul.
Just over a week ago, the head of the Iraqi Executive communicated the delivery of weapons from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a Yazidi militia considered close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has recently announced its dissolution.
The deployment of Turkish soldiers in the Mosul area dates back to 2015, when Ankara sent troops to train and support Iraqi forces and local fighters preparing to combat the Islamic State.