Turkey has troops at the Iraqi base of Bashiqa, where it is training Iraqi Kurdish ‘Peshmerga’ and Sunni Muslim fighters. The main reason behind Ankara’s demanded involvement in the battle for Mosul, is their voiced concern regarding the fate of the Sunni Muslim communities of the city, following reports of atrocities committed by the Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias, backing Iraqi government forces, in previous incursions. The United Nations said in July it had a list of more than 640 Sunni Muslim men and boys reportedly abducted by an Iraqi government-affiliated Shi’ite militia, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, during the battle for the Islamic State-held bastion of Falluja. The report states that about 50 others were instantly executed or tortured to death.
In response to the report, the Iraqi government decided to exclude the Shi’ite militia involved in the report from the battle for Mosul to ease sectarian animosity. While the Iraqi government denied Ankara’s request to be actively involved in the fighting, Turkish Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country would play a role in the offensive against the jihadists in the city to assure Ankara’s interests are kept, while noting that Turkish artillery fire has killed some 17 Islamic State militants since the battle to drive the extreme Muslim organization from the Iraqi city began and that four Turkish F-16 fighter jets are on standby to take part in the battle, as part of the US led coalition.
“Since the beginning of the Mosul assault, the number of terrorists killed by our forces, with howitzers, artillery and tanks, has almost reached 20. They killed 17 terrorists,” said Cavusoglu.
The Iraqi army’s press office said a total of 78 villages and towns have been recaptured since the Mosul operation started, while UN aid agencies said the fighting has so far forces about 6,000 civilians to flee their homes.