Turkey to withdraw more troops from IraqDecember 21, 2015 - 11:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey says it will withdraw more troops from northern Iraq and acknowledged there had been a miscommunication with the Iraqi government over the issue, the Associated Press reports. The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced late Saturday, December 19, the government "in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the requirements of the fight against Daesh (Islamic State), is continuing to move military forces from Nineveh province." The move followed an appeal from President Barak Obama, who called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday and urged him "to take additional steps to de-escalate tensions with Iraq." The Ankara-Baghdad spat has been an unwelcome setback to U.S. efforts to accelerate the fight against Islamic State extremists. Turkey began withdrawing troops stationed near the IS-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul earlier this week. But Baghdad, which considers the deployment of Turkish troops an illegal incursion, demanded the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraqi territory at a U.N. Security Council meeting. The dispute flared up earlier this month after Turkey deployed reinforcements to a camp in Iraq's Bashiqa region where Sunni and Kurdish troops are being trained to fight IS militants. Turkey has stationed troops there since last year but had recently sent more with the stated aim of protecting its forces from IS attacks. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |