Turkey warns against Shia involvement in Mosul attack

By Meltem Bulur and Ecenur Colak

ANKARA

The involvement of Shia Muslim militias in the liberation of northern Iraq’s Mosul would increase tension in the region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday.

He also defended Turkey’s military training mission in Iraq as vital to the successful retaking of the city, which has been held by Daesh since June 2014.

“The participation of these forces is important to the success of the operation,” Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara. “Involving Shia militias in the operation will not bring peace to Mosul. On the contrary, it will increase regional problems.”

Baghdad this week called on Turkey to withdraw its troops from the Bashiqa camp and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Ankara risked sparking a regional war by keeping them there.

Cavusoglu said Mosul’s Sunni Muslim population should not be forced to choose between Daesh and Shia militias. Such militias have been accused of committing atrocities against Iraqi Sunnis in other parts of the country.

“The countries in the coalition forces can support local forces and we can drive Daesh out of Mosul,” he said, referring to the international anti-Daesh coalition of which Turkey is a member.

“Turkey is ready to give all support in this fight.”

Bashiqa, around 12 kilometers (7 miles) northeast of Mosul, is the site of a long-standing Turkish training camp for Kurdish and Sunni fighters. The suggestion that Turkish troops could play a role in the assault on Mosul, which is expected before the end of the year, has led to criticism from some Iraqi politicians.