Türkiye has agreed to gradually transfer control of the Bashiqa-Zelikan military base near Mosul to the Iraqi government as Ankara and Baghdad deepen security cooperation and seek to remove armed groups operating outside state authority.
The agreement followed talks between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
According to a joint statement, Turkish forces will hand the installation over to Baghdad under an agreed mechanism and timetable, alongside security measures being implemented by Iraqi authorities.
Baghdad and Ankara Seek Greater State Control
Türkiye established the Bashiqa base in December 2015 with the agreement of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. Turkish media reported that Ankara deployed as many as 600 soldiers there.
However, the deployment subsequently created tensions with Baghdad, which argued that the Turkish military presence violated Iraqi sovereignty.
Meanwhile, both governments also agreed to work towards fully restoring Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and removing what their statement described as illegal foreign armed elements.
Turkish forces have previously conducted operations in the Sinjar region against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
Sinjar Disarmament Efforts Continue
The agreement comes amid efforts by Türkiye to secure the disarmament of remaining PKK members following decades of conflict.
The PKK announced its dissolution in May 2025 as part of a peace process with Ankara. Subsequently, a symbolic disarmament ceremony took place in northern Iraq in July 2025.
Turkish authorities have said some PKK fighters nevertheless remain inside Iraq.
Furthermore, Baghdad announced earlier in September that it intended to place Sinjar fully under federal administrative and security authority.
That decision followed an agreement with Yazidi armed groups under which they would surrender their weapons to the Iraqi state.
The Bashiqa transfer therefore forms part of broader efforts by Baghdad to consolidate federal control over security arrangements in northern Iraq.
