Turkey to gradually hand over military base to Iraq as Baghdad-Ankara ties strengthen

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Turkey will begin taking steps to gradually transfer control of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base in northern Iraq to the Iraqi federal government, according to a joint announcement issued on Sunday, November 8. According to the Office of Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, Baghdad and Ankara have also agreed to set up a joint security coordination committee to monitor efforts to restore full Iraqi government authority in Sinjar, Nineveh Governorate, and to end the presence of armed groups operating outside state control. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan struck an agreement in New York on September 23, leading to the announcement. The two heads of state agreed to coordinate security measures in northern Iraq and plan for the eventual handover of the Turkish military station. Turkey maintained a presence at the Bashiqa-Zilkan base near Mosul during the 2015 anti-ISIS battle. However, the deployment sparked long-standing tensions, with Baghdad frequently objecting to Turkish forces operating on Iraqi soil without federal authority. Turkey has also maintained military bases and carried out cross-border operations in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara deems a terrorist group. Baghdad has condemned transgressions of Iraqi sovereignty while expanding cooperation with Turkey to combat the group’s operations. In April 2024, Erdoğan visited Baghdad and signed agreements on security, commerce, energy, water management, and infrastructure development, leading to an improvement in relations between the two nations. In August 2024, Iraq and Turkey inked a military and security cooperation pact to improve information sharing, counterterrorism coordination, and military training. Beyond security, Baghdad and Ankara are pursuing big economic projects, such as the Development Road Project, which intends to link Iraq’s southern ports to Turkey and European markets via new transportation infrastructure. The anticipated surrender of Bashiqa-Zilkan is another step toward settling a long-standing border conflict, while Turkey continues to retain military posts in northern Iraq.