Iraqi Analyst: Turkey Operates Over 30 Military Bases in Iraq, Warns of Political Infiltration

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, an Iraqi political affairs analyst, Wael Al-Rikabi, has asserted that Turkey has established over 30 military bases in northern Iraq in recent years, incurring billions of dollars in expenditures. Al-Rikabi emphasized that this sustained military presence indicates objectives extending beyond those officially declared by Ankara.

He called for the Iraqi government to exert pressure on Turkey to withdraw from all bases situated on Iraqi territory. “The reasons for Turkey’s military presence and its justifications for continuing this pattern must be examined and eliminated,” Al-Rikabi stated. He cautioned that Turkey’s military presence could potentially evolve into political and economic infiltration detrimental to Iraq’s independence.

The Iraqi analyst further elaborated, “The concept of sovereignty is not solely confined to the withdrawal of American forces; the presence of Turkish and other foreign forces must also cease.”