Ekip
06 December 2015•Update: 08 December 2015
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Atheel al-Nujaifi, who served as governor of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province from 2009 until May of this year, has said that the recent arrival of Turkish troops to the province had been "approved by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and with the knowledge of Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri".
On his Facebook page, al-Nujaifi stated on Saturday evening that the arrival of Turkish forces to Nineveh "came at the request of the Iraqi prime minister during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu".
He said: "Al-Abadi asked for Turkish military assistance and Ankara responded by sending military supplies into Baghdad airport, like the Turkish troops sent to train our troops at Zlican Camp eight months earlier."
The move, he noted, had also come "with the knowledge of Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, who spoke about this camp in particular with Davutoglu".
Al-Nujaifi added: "If Iraq’s leaders can’t face the Iranian influence -- and act as if they don’t know about it -- that’s something else."
The former governor went on to say that Nineveh residents "welcome any force that comes to help in the fight against Daesh and assist in the group’s expulsion from [provincial capital] Mosul".
"Turkish support is crucial because it has helped cut Daesh’s supply lines and expedite the liberation of Mosul," he added, stressing that the deployments "come within the context of Turkey’s participation in the international coalition [against Daesh]".
"I say to those who have gone back on their word that we will redouble our efforts to liberate our city [Mosul]," al-Nujaifi concluded.
In an oblique reference to the Iraqi authorities, he added: "You let us down before and delivered our city to Daesh without taking any serious action to liberate it."
Training Peshmerga
The Turkish military recently released details of a training program for Kurdish Peshmerga fighters that it has been operating in Iraq.
The army statement comes in the wake of Friday's deployment of around 150 Turkish troops to replace training forces already in Mosul. Along with the troops, 20 to 25 tanks were also dispatched to the area.
Turkish army sources said Saturday that they had been training fighters in four provinces of northern Iraq with the ultimate aim of fighting Daesh.
In a statement, Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson Sefin Dizayi confirmed that Turkish troop reinforcements had arrived in Mosul.
According to the KRG, the fresh deployments of Turkish military equipment and experts are meant to replace a unit already deployed in northern Iraq.
The new arrivals will be stationed at different military camps near Mosul and in the Soran and Kalacholan districts near the Iranian border.
According to the Turkish military, Peshmerga forces have received training in the use of heavy machine guns, mortars and artillery. They have also received first-aid training.
More than 2,500 Peshmerga fighters, including officers, have participated in the Turkish training program, the military added.
