Turkiye agrees to gradual handover of Bashiqa base to Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi and Turkish President Erdogan pledged deeper security cooperation at UNGA.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York [Turkish Presidency Press Office/AFP]

Turkiye and Iraq have agreed to a gradual transfer of Ankara’s military base in northern Iraq’s Bashiqa to Baghdad, according to a statement released by the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

The announcement followed a meeting on Wednesday between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

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“Within this framework, they reached an agreement on fully establishing state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of outlawed foreign armed elements,” Iraq’s prime minister’s office announced, in an apparent reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party ( PKK ), which has maintained a presence in the mountainous Sinjar region of northern Iraq.

“The two sides also agreed to expand the volume of bilateral trade and investment, to implement signed agreements immediately, and to accelerate joint strategic projects, particularly the Development Road project,” the office added.

Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2026 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]

The decision to transfer the facility addresses a longstanding flashpoint between the two neighbours .

Turkiye first established the base in Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, in December 2015 through an agreement with the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government to train local forces fighting the ISIL (ISIS) group.

The deployment of up to 600 Turkish soldiers drew criticism from Baghdad, which viewed the presence as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

The Sinjar region has long been a focal point for Turkish military operations targeting fighters from the PKK.

Kurdistan Workers’ Party fighters, who reportedly withdrew from Turkiye with their weapons, stand at attention during a ceremony in the Qandil area of northern Iraq in 2025 [File: Rashid Yahya/AP]

Cross-border operations in Sinjar had eased following a landmark peace process between Ankara and the PKK in 2025 , paving the way for federal authorities to assert control over the border zone.

Wednesday’s accord caps months of efforts by Baghdad to consolidate state authority over northern flashpoints, while aligning with Ankara on trade corridors and security coordination along their shared frontier.

伊拉克总理扎伊迪和土耳其总统埃尔多安在联合国大会上承诺深化安全合作。

土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安在纽约举行的第81届联合国大会期间会见了伊拉克总理阿里·扎伊迪。[土耳其总统府新闻办公室/法新社]

根据伊拉克总理办公室发表的声明，土耳其和伊拉克已同意逐步将安卡拉位于伊拉克北部巴希卡的军事基地移交给巴格达。

此前，伊拉克总理阿里·扎伊迪和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安于周三在纽约联合国大会期间举行了会晤。

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“在此框架下，他们就全面建立辛贾尔国家权威和结束非法外国武装分子的存在达成了协议，”伊拉克总理办公室宣布，这显然是指库尔德工人党（PKK），该党一直在伊拉克北部山区辛贾尔地区保持着存在。

该办公室补充说：“双方还同意扩大双边贸易和投资规模，立即落实已签署的协议，加快推进联合战略项目，特别是发展道路项目。”

土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安于2026年9月22日在联合国大会上发表讲话。[Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]

将该设施移交给邻国的决定解决了两国之间长期存在的矛盾。

土耳其于 2015 年 12 月首次在摩苏尔东北部的巴希卡建立基地，通过与库尔德斯坦自治区政府达成协议，训练当地部队与伊斯兰国（ISIS）组织作战。

多达 600 名土耳其士兵的部署招致巴格达的批评，巴格达认为这种存在侵犯了伊拉克的主权。

辛贾尔地区长期以来一直是土耳其军事行动的重点区域，目标是库尔德工人党（PKK）的武装分子。

据报道，库尔德工人党战士已携带武器撤离土耳其，他们在2025年伊拉克北部坎迪尔地区举行的仪式上列队肃立。[图片：Rashid Yahya/AP]

2025年安卡拉与库尔德工人党达成具有里程碑意义的和平进程后，辛贾尔的跨境行动有所缓和，为联邦当局控制边境地区铺平了道路。

周三达成的协议标志着巴格达数月来为巩固其对北部冲突热点地区的国家权力所做的努力达到了顶峰，同时巴格达也在贸易走廊和沿共同边界的安全协调方面与安卡拉保持一致。