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Baghdad Tells Turkey To Withdraw Troops


Iraq has given Turkey until December 8 to withdraw its troops from northern Iraq, warning that it would seek action from the UN Security Council if Turkish forces remain in Iraqi territory after the deadline.

Iraqi Prime Minister Hader al-Abadi has said that Turkish troops entered Iraq without Baghdad's permission and must leave.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on December 7 that Ankara sent military forces near the city of Mosul in northern Iraq on December 3 to protect and replace Turkish soldiers already deployed there.

Mosul has been occupied by Islamic State militants since the summer of 2014.

Turkey says its soldiers have been training Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni Arab tribal fighters around Mosul ahead of an expected offensive aimed at taking the city back from the IS militants.

Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters

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