Turkiye and Iraq Reach Agreement on Gradual Handover of Bashiqa Military Base

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York [Turkish Presidency Press Office/AFP]. Turkiye and Iraq have agreed to a gradual transfer of Ankara’s military base in Bashiqa to Baghdad, according to a statement released by the Iraqi prime minister’s office. The announcement followed a meeting on Wednesday between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Within this framework, they reached an agreement on fully establishing state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of outlawed foreign armed elements,” Iraq’s prime minister’s office announced, in an apparent reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has maintained a presence in the mountainous Sinjar region of northern Iraq. “The two sides also agreed to expand the volume of bilateral trade and investment, to implement signed agreements immediately, and to accelerate joint strategic projects, particularly the Development Road project,” the office added.

Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2026 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]. The decision to transfer the facility addresses a longstanding flashpoint between the two neighbours. Turkiye first established the base in Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, in December 2015 through an agreement with the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government to train local forces fighting the ISIL (ISIS) group. The deployment of up to 600 Turkish soldiers drew criticism from Baghdad, which viewed the presence as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

The Sinjar region has long been a focal point for Turkish military operations targeting fighters from the PKK. Kurdistan Workers’ Party fighters, who reportedly withdrew from Turkiye with their weapons, stand at attention during a ceremony in the Qandil area of northern Iraq in 2025 [File: Rashid Yahya/AP]. Cross-border operations in Sinjar had eased following a landmark peace process between Ankara and the PKK in 2025, paving the way for federal authorities to assert control over the border zone.

Wednesday’s accord caps months of efforts by Baghdad to consolidate state authority over northern flashpoints, while aligning with Ankara on trade corridors and security coordination along their shared frontier.