IRAQ PARLIAMENT DEMANDS ACTION OVER TURKEY TROOPS

The Iraqi parliament's security and defense committee demanded the government to take all measures necessary to end the presence of Turkish troops in Iraq, according to committee member Iskander Watut.

BAGHDAD (Sputnik) — The Iraqi parliament's security and defense committee has demanded the government to take steps to secure the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the country's north, committee member Iskander Watut told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"Today, we held a committee meeting and demanded the government to take all measures necessary to end the presence of Turkish troops in Iraq," Watut said.

© AP PHOTO/ BRAM JANSSEN

Turkey has been accused by the Iraqi authorities of violating their country's sovereignty after it deployed its troops to northern Iraq's Nineveh province on December 4.

Turkey claimed that its forces were aiding Iraq's army in its fight against the Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh in Arabic), outlawed in Russia. Iraq rejected the claims, stating that Turkish forces had never been invited, calling Turkish military presence a "hostile move."

On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi gave Turkey 48 hours to withdraw its troops, saying that Iraq could then resort to any measures, which include raising the issue in the UN Security Council. The Security Council is expected to hold a closed-door meeting on the matter on Tuesday.