Turkish forces to withdraw from strategic military base in northern Iraq

Turkey has reached an agreement with Baghdad to gradually transfer control of the strategic Bashiqa-Zilkan military base in northern Iraq to the Iraqi government.

The deal follows an understanding between the two countries over the progress Iraq has made with regard to strengthening security measures in the area as well as reasserting Iraqi state authority there.

The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting in New York between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on the margins of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

According to the statement, Turkey will hand over the camp in stages, in line with an agreed timetable.

However, no specific date has yet been set for the withdrawal of Turkish troops.

The United States Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria and Iraq, Tom Barrack, has welcomed the agreement.

"History rarely announces its turning points; it stitches them quietly," he wrote in a post on X. "Ankara returning Zilkan to Baghdad by agreed mechanism and timeline is one such thread: Iraqi sovereignty and Turkish security, both served. What looks like chaos from afar is a region weaving its own order".

The deal

Turkey and Iraq have agreed on fully establishing the authority of the Iraqi state in Sinjar and ending the presence of "banned foreign armed elements" in the region.

In the joint statement, it was also stated that the two countries had agreed to deepen their security cooperation.

Turkey has long been calling on the Iraqi government to curb the activities of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)-linked groups other non-state armed actors operating in Sinjar.

Earlier this month, the Iraqi government announced that the Sinjar Resistance Units, a Yazidi armed group affiliated with PKK, had agreed to lay down their arms and that fighters who met the conditions would be integrated into the Iraqi security forces.

The group, which is reported to have played a role in the fight against ISIL, is regarded by Turkey as a security threat because of its ties to the PKK.

Why is Bashiqa-Zilkan important?

Bashiqa-Zilkan is one of several Turkish military facilities that have long been a point of contention between Turkey and Iraq.

Turkey established a military presence in the area in 2015 to support operations against ISIL and assist local security forces.

Turkey maintains other military bases in northern Iraq, where it conducts operations against the PKK. The Bashiqa-Zilkan camp is the furthest from the Turkish border.

Iraq has previously called on Turkey to withdraw its troops from the area. Ankara, however, has insisted that its military presence is necessary to carry out operations against the PKK and to protect Turkey's national security.

The Bashiqa-Zilkan agreement comes as Turkey's latest effort to end its long-running conflict with the PKK continues.

As part of this new peace process, the PKK announced last year that it was dissolving itself and would cease armed actions against Turkey.

US withdrawal from Iraq

The United States is also in the process of winding down its military presence in Iraq.

US officials say a plan is in place for the hundreds of American troops stationed in the north of the country to leave by 30 September.