Iraq-Turkey tension rises amid battle for Mosul

Iraq’s prime minister has warned Turkey against provoking a confrontation while saying he does not want war.

Haider al-Abadi made the comments after Turkey deployed tanks and artillery near the Iraqi border and insisted that any Turkish involvement would be a violation of national sovereignty.

Turkey wants a a role in the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, by virtue of being a member of the anti-ISIL coalition.

However, Abadi rejected this assertion and repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw troops it has deployed near the northern city.

“The invasion of Iraq will lead to Turkey being dismantled,” Abadi said in a televised news conference on Tuesday.

“We do not want war with Turkey, and we do not want a confrontation with Turkey.

“But if a confrontation happens, we are ready for it. We will consider [Turkey] an enemy and we will deal with it as an enemy.”

Read More- al Jazeera

Image courtesy of Reuters