Obama urges Ankara to withdraw ‘unauthorized’ troops from Iraq

President Obama has reaffirmed the US’ support and commitment to the territorial integrity of Iraq during a phone conversation with country's PM. According to a White House statement, the US is calling on Ankara to respect Iraqi sovereignty by withdrawing “any military forces that have not been authorized by the Iraqi government.” Last month Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to a base in Iraq’s Nineveh province, without obtaining permission from Baghdad. Iraq called the move a violation of its sovereignty and demanded that Ankara withdraw troops. The White House used exactly the same wording to describe the US Vice President’s statement to Iraqi PM last month, in which Joe Biden also said that “any foreign military presence in Iraq must be with the full consent of the Iraq government.”