The Turkish military has killed at least 18 ISIS militants, after the group launched an attack on Turkish forces in Bashiqa in Northern Iraq, whilst reporting no injuries or deaths on the Turkish side.
Turkey deployed around 150 troops and 25 tanks into Northern Iraq last year, in a move that has caused controversy in Iraq despite Turkey’s claims that they are only there to train Iraqi forces.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu furthered his defence by claiming that the Turkish presence in Bashiqa was purely as a security measure against ISIS and that once Iraq had regained complete control of the region, their presence would no longer be necessary.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used the incident, in which ISIS forces apparently attempted to sneak into the Bashiqa camp, as evidence to support Turkey’s claims that its involvement in the region is necessary for its own security.
