Turkey reserves the right to take measures inside Iraq to defend itself against terror threats but would no longer need to do so once such threats are removed, Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Monday.

Iraq has long demanded that Turkish forces withdraw from the Bashiqa camp near Mosul in the north of the country. The issue was discussed during a meeting of the two countries’ prime ministers in Baghdad on Saturday.

“The Bashiqa camp is there because of terror which originates in Iraq, and it is our right to take measures against this. If the threat is removed, there will be no need to,” Canikli said in an interview with A Haber television.

Turkey has been a main sponsor of armed groups operating in the Middle East region, mainly in Syria and Iraq, by supporting terrorist groups with training, money and logistics to fight against the national government forces.

Western media reports revealed Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan’s involvement in oil smuggling operations from terrorist groups in Iraq.

Source: RT