Iraqi PM renews call for Turkey pullout

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi renews call on Turkey to withdraw troops from northern Iraq.

Turkish troops are deployed in areas around Mosul, which remains under the control of Daesh terrorists since they overran the Iraqi city in 2014.

“This is a frank invitation to Turkey, our neighbor, to pull out its forces from Iraq,” Abadi said.

“We will deploy every effort permitted by our rights and international law to make them leave,” he added.

On Friday, Iraq rejected Turkey’s claims that its forces “illegally” deployed to the Arab country had come under Daesh attack.

Prime Minister Abadi also said over 60 percent of the air raids against Daesh terrorists across his country are carried out by Iraqi forces.

Speaking at a nationally-televised ceremony in Baghdad, Abadi said US-led forces have conducted just 40 percent of the sorties against Daesh.

He said, however, that his country remains in need of foreign military assistance only in the forms of air cover, training and armament, but not ground operations.