US grilled for remarks on Turkey's operation in Mosul

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON

The U.S. was grilled Monday for its remarks about Turkey's role in supporting an offensive to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh.

"Since when is it the position of the U.S. that any foreign military action in Iraq must have the consent of the Iraqi government?," State Department spokesman Mark Toner was asked during a press briefing.

The questions harkened to the U.S.’s 2003 invasion of Iraq.

"You guys pick and choose that foreign militaries can't operate unless they have this expressed consent of a country's government,” according to reported who asked the initial question.

In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq with more than 100,000 troops to topple Saddam Hussein. Currently, the U.S. is participating in the Iraqi-led Mosul campaign in a train, advice and assist capacity.

According to Toner, the Iraqi regime and the set of circumstances were different in 2003 and in "imminent national security interest of the U.S.". He added that the situation then and now do not have the same standards in place.

Pushed about whether he was aware Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi had personally asked Turkey for help after Daesh took control of Mosul in 2014, Toner said he would not "get into past history."

He also added that the U.S. has not played any role in the timing of the Mosul operation began midnight Sunday.

A long-standing Turkish training camp in Bashiqa, located 12 kilometers (7.5 mils) northeast of Mosul, has been training peshmerga and Sunni Muslim militias in the months leading up to the attack on Iraq’s second city.

Last December, Turkey sent in 150 troops and approximately two dozen combat tanks.

Ankara and Baghdad, however, have recently been locked in a row about the presence of Turkish troops at the camp.

The U.S. has said all military operations in Iraq should be done with permission from the Iraqi government.

Earlier Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not only participate in the Mosul operation but would also "be at the table for talks".

He also called for the government in Baghdad and Turkey to "reach a consensus" over Turkey’s role in supporting the Mosul operation.

In mid-2014, Daesh took Mosul and overran vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.

Recent months have seen the Iraqi army, backed by a 60-nation coalition led by the U.S., retake a large portion of the territory. Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country.