Turkey to begin withdrawing troops from-Iraq

The phased withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Zelikan (Bashiqa) military camp in Iraq's northern Nineveh province will begin this month, with the base expected to be fully transferred to Iraqi security forces by the end of the year, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces Sabah al-Numan said.

A joint Iraqi-Turkish security committee has begun its work to oversee the handover of the camp, al-Numan told the state-owned al-Iraqiya channel.

Türkiye established a military presence at the Zelikan base in 2015 to support operations against the ISIS terrorist group banned in Russia.