Türkiye extends troop deployment in Iraq, Syria

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

The Turkish parliament on Tuesday approved a presidential motion extending the mandate of Turkish troops stationed in Iraq and Syria for an additional three years.

The motion, submitted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was approved by a large majority in the assembly, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The necessity of deploying Turkish contingents in these countries is justified by the importance of fighting militants of the Islamic State and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), it said.

The current mandate allowing Türkiye's cross-border military operations in Syria and Iraq is set to expire on Oct. 30.

Türkiye has maintained a long-standing military presence in northern Syria and Iraq under the pretext of combating the PKK, the Islamic State and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Türkiye views the YPG as the PKK's Syrian arm, which it designates as a terrorist group.