Ankara and Baghdad agree on gradual transfer of Bashiqa base
Turkey and Iraq announced that Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa military base in northern Iraq to the federal government. The agreement follows a meeting between President Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi at the UN General Assembly. The move aims to strengthen Iraqi state authority and address long-standing tensions over Turkish military presence.
The Bashiqa base was established in December 2015 with consent from the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Turkish media reports indicated roughly 600 soldiers were stationed there. Baghdad long viewed the presence as a violation of its sovereignty, making the handover a significant diplomatic shift between the two neighbors.
The agreement also covers Sinjar, where Turkey previously conducted operations against PKK fighters. That group announced its dissolution in May 2025 and held a disarmament ceremony in July 2025. Baghdad placed Sinjar under full federal authority in early September after Yazidi armed groups agreed to surrender their weapons.
This handover could ease a persistent irritant in Turkish-Iraqi relations and bolster Baghdad's claim to full territorial control. Residents of northern Iraq may see reduced foreign military presence as a step toward greater stability, though the gradual timeline leaves uncertainty. The Sinjar provisions may affect local Yazidi communities, who have endured repeated conflicts and could view federal consolidation as either protective or destabilizing depending on implementation.