A Turkish-Iraqi agreement to gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zelikan base

Turkey established its military presence at the base in 2015, during the war against ISIS, which was controlling Mosul, and said at the time that the goal was to train Iraqi and local forces, including Arab, Kurdish, and Turkmen fighters, and to support efforts to combat the organization. The number of Turkish soldiers at the site reached about 600, according to media reports.

The Turkish deployment sparked a dispute between Ankara and Baghdad, as the Iraqi government considered the presence of Turkish forces inside its territory a violation of its sovereignty, and demanded their withdrawal. On the other hand, Türkiye said that its presence came within the framework of supporting local forces and confronting the "Islamic State" organization, and also linked its survival to the security threats resulting from the activity of armed groups in northern Iraq.

Over time, the base turned into one of the most prominent points of political and security tension between the two countries, and it was also subjected to missile attacks attributed to Iraqi armed factions. For Ankara, the site maintained security importance due to its proximity to areas where armed groups are active, while Baghdad saw the continued foreign military presence as inconsistent with the principle of limiting security and defense to official Iraqi institutions.

In September 2026, Türkiye and Iraq agreed to hand over the Bashiqa-Zulaikan base to the Iraqi federal government gradually, according to an agreed-upon mechanism and timetable. The two countries linked the agreement to the progress made by Baghdad in strengthening security measures, extending state authority in the Sinjar region, and ending the presence of banned foreign armed groups there.

Ankara views the handover as a transition from direct military presence to security cooperation and coordination with Baghdad, while continuing its interest in the security of its borders and combating armed groups in northern Iraq. As for Baghdad, it is treating the step as an affirmation of the sovereignty of the federal state and the restoration of control over a military site that has been a subject of dispute with Türkiye for years.

The announced understandings indicate that Iraqi forces will take over the management of the base after the completion of the Turkish withdrawal process.