
An Aero L-159 ALCA jet flies at a military base in Balad, north of Baghdad on November 5, 2015. (Reuters photo)
Speaking at a ceremony in Baghdad broadcast live on state TV, Abadi said Iraq still needed foreign assistance for air cover, training and armament, but not for ground operations. Abadi renewed his call for Turkey to withdraw troops deployed in the region of Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq which has been under ISIS control since 2014.
"This is a frank invitation to Turkey our neighbor to pull out its forces from Iraq," he said. "We will deploy every effort permitted by our rights and international law to make them leave," he added. Turkey deployed around 150 troops last month at the Bashiqa base, where it is training an Iraqi militia to fight ISIS, citing heightened security risks.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkish troops repelled an ISIS attack on the base, killing 18 militants, adding that this incident vindicated the presence of the protection force. The Iraqi army later denied that any clash happened recently between Turkish forces and the militants.
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