Turkey has approved a one-year extension of a mandate to station troops in Syria and Iraq, two days before Iraq’s Kurdish region is due to hold its independence referendum.
Defense Minister Murettin Canikli stated the decision was made to protect Turkey from the Kurdish independence vote, which was a “threat to national security”.
This will allow Turkey’s military to intervene in Syria and Iraq against Kurdish militias and ISIS.
Iraq’s chief of staff General Othman al-Ghanimi met with his Turkish counterpart General Hulusi Akar in Ankara on Saturday to discuss the referendum.
The Turkish parliament approved a one-year extension of a mandate to use troops abroad in Syria and Iraq on Saturday, two days before Iraq’s Kurdish region is due to hold a controversial independence referendum.
Source: News Now/Albawaba News Online
