Turkish FM Fidan meets Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi chief in Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Falih al-Fayyad, the chairman of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) Commission, in the capital Ankara on Friday, the Foreign Ministry announced on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal. No further details about the meeting were provided, but the encounter is significant given the Hashd al-Shaabi’s role as a state-sanctioned umbrella organization of mainly Shiite militias, some of which have ties to Iran.

Context of the meeting

The meeting comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following the US-Israeli war on Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Gaza. Türkiye and Iraq have been working to improve security coordination, particularly regarding counter-terrorism operations against the PKK, which has rear bases in northern Iraq. Ankara has previously carried out cross-border operations against PKK targets in Iraq, often coordinating with Baghdad. The Hashd al-Shaabi has a complex relationship with the PKK and with Turkish forces.

Türkiye-Iraq rapprochement

Despite historical tensions, Türkiye and Iraq have recently accelerated diplomatic engagement, including talks on water management, energy cooperation, and the Development Road project. Fidan’s meeting with al-Fayyad suggests Ankara is also engaging directly with Iraq’s powerful paramilitary structure to ensure that any anti-PKK operations do not escalate into broader conflict with Iran-aligned factions. The meeting may also have covered the security situation in Syria and the flow of Iranian-backed militias through Iraqi territory.