Turkish troops are in Mosul under deal with Baghdad: Barzani

Mesud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, said on Tuesday that Turkey deployed its troops in Mosul under a pre-arranged agreement between Ankara and Baghdad.

Barzani said that the both country had agreed to deploy Turkish troops in the area to train Arab soldiers who will participate in an anti-Daesh operation to retake Mosul from the terrorist group.

“Of course, this training and support was within the context of an agreement between the two parties," Barzani told Anadolu News Agency.

Barzani stated that the replacement of Turkish troops was a routine procedure and the number of the soldiers was not as much as media claimed. “But it was more exaggerated this time," he said.

If the main issue is the anti-Daesh operation, retaking Mosul from the hand of Daesh militants, this is a good development, he said.

Barzani and Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi are scheduled to visit Turkey on Wednesday.

He will meet the Turkish President and Prime Minister in Ankara, where the issue will be one of the main topics on the agenda.

“I will discuss the issue with Turkish leaders," Barzani said and added that the crisis should be resolved through dialogue.

Bazrani said he also will meet with Iraqi authorities after his Ankara visit to find a better way to solve the issue.