Why does Turkey Send Troops to Bashiqa Camp?

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The news agencies reported on December 5 that Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Siirt 3rd Commando Brigadier soldiers and 25 tanks were sent to ISIS-held (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) Mosul’s Bashiqa town.

Different information from different sources have been reflected in media upon number of troops sent. BBC reported as “At least 100” while state-run Anadolu Agency said 150, Milliyet daily reported 1,200 and Hürriyet daily reports 600 soldiers in total have been sent added with the latest 400 reinforcements.

Turkey declared that it has been sending soldiers to the camp at prime ministerial level and that the purpose is training. But, why has Baghdad administration protested if there are TSK soldiers around Mosul for a year? If the goal is to retrieve Mosul from ISIS, then does Turkey have any policy for future? Who will rule Mosul if ISIS is gone? We compiled the answers in media to these questions.

Strong response by Baghdad

Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ambassador of Turkey and asked Turkey to withdraw its troops. The statement with signature of Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Ahmed Cemad says, “Turkish troops have entered Baghdad without informing Baghdad administration. Iraq sees presence of Turkish troops as a hostile act”.

Davutoğlu: Training camp

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stating Bashiqa camp has been active for a year and that they are authorized to provide training said, “This training operation has been started by Mosul Governorate’s demand and Iraqi Defense Ministry’s coordination”.

Evaluation of Murat Yetkin

Murat Yetkin in his column in Hürriyet daily wrote as to deployment of soldiers in Mosul, how many soldiers there are in this deployment, and what the purpose is based on the information he received from military sources.

According to Yetkin, Turkey has a military surveillance force as of First Gulf War. The article confirms Davutoğlu’s information of training camp: “Bashiqa camp is not an operations base but training base or training camp within the knowledge and approval of both Iraqi government and Kurdistan Regional Administration (KBY)”.

Yetkin says the following as to foundation of the camp:

“Foundation offer firstly came from Mosul Governor Usel Nuceyfi, who fell into ISIS’ hands on June 11, 2014. Nuceyfi wanted fighters of the groups that are mainly constituted by ‘Haşti Vatani’ group, which is composed of mainly Sunni Arabs, but also receive Turkmens, Christians, Yezidis fleeing ISIS-occupied territories to be trained to “save Mosul”.

Why has Baghdad reacted against it?

Yetkin in his piece brings forward a critical question after stating that Bashiqa is a well-known camp and soldiers on duty there are replaced from time to time: “Well, then why has Baghdad reacted against a reinforcement that is within its knowledge as it heard the first time?”

Yetkin’s response is as follows:

“One of the reasons could be the crisis between Turkey and Russia. The other reason could be the discoordination in Iraqi administration. The cases which the ministries of different ethnicities and sects not informing each other were seen before”.

Former Consul General on Mosul

Former Consul General to Mosul, People’s Republican Party (CHP) MP from Ardahan, Öztürk Yılmaz who was held hostage along with 47 people for 101 days by ISIS gave an interview to Hürriyet over the news reporting Turkey has sent troops to Mosul.

ISIS had completely seized Mosul on June 10, 2014. Yılmaz starting his duty as Consul General to Mosul on July 15, 2013 was captured by ISIS raiding Consulate General building on June 11, 2014. The Consulate General staff were saved on September 20.

Yılmaz explained ISIS-held Mosul to Hürriyet as follows:

“Mosul is a city of population of 1.5 million. ISIS suppresses and controls the whole area. There is a local population but most of them support ISIS, and some reluctantly do”.

“Mosul operation weakens ISIS but doesn’t finish it off”

“ISIS is now a global terror organization. An operation launched against Mosul or Raqqa weakens ISIS but doesn’t finish it off because ISIS is now located in many places such as Libya, Mali, Yemen, Nigeria, Somali. More precisely, this jihadist mindset has spread all over the world. This will not end though these groups are wiped off the territories they hold”.

“It continues as of Afghanistan”

“Road to here should be closed; which is to say what radicalizes society and what causes them to take this road should be analyzed in a more comprehensive way. This mindset continues as of war in Afghanistan. They will just find weak states and settle in there as long as their existence in society maintains. They are not located in one place; it needs to be understood. I am not sure whether the world understands it”. (HK/TK)