Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik stressed Wednesday that cleansing the city of Mosul of the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) terrorist group has a great importance for Turkey and Iraq as well, pointing out that the presence of Turkish soldiers in Ba’shiqah is very important.
In remarks he gave in Kirk Castle province of central Turkey, Isik said “the Turkish military presence in Ba’shiqah [northern Iraq] is required and nor an act of arbitrariness.
“We will not withdraw from Ba’shiqah until we clear the area of ISIL,” he stated.
Moreover, the Turkish official underlined that Ankara will discuss the subject of Ba’shiqah with Iraq after clearing the whole area of ISIL gunmen.
Source: Al-Manar Website
