Turkish military head denies interfering in Syria, Iraq

By Hanife Sevinc

ISTANBUL

Turkey supports the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria and would not interfere in either country, the head of the Turkish Armed Forces said Sunday.

“We want to prevent the attacks and threat of Daesh to ensure security on the border and to protect people from terrorism,” Gen. Hulusi Akar told a panel at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Istanbul.

“We support Syria’s territorial and political integrity.”

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield to clear northern Syria of terrorists on Aug. 24. It has seen opposition fighters backed by Turkish special forces, artillery, armor and warplanes remove Daesh from the border region.

In Iraq, the Turkish army has a long-standing training base that provided local troops for the assault on Mosul last month. The presence of the base has angered Baghdad, which has called it an affront to Iraq’s sovereignty.

However, Akar rejected such claims. “If the issues are not known, there is ignorance, if not malicious intentions,” he said.

Akar pledged that Turkey’s relationship with NATO, which it joined in 1952, would be strengthened in the coming years amid concerns about close ties with Moscow. Akar visited Russia earlier this month to meet his opposite number.

Reporting by Hanife Sevinc; Writing by Diyar Güldoğan;