Iraq and Turkey to conduct joint military drill

Erbil (Kurdistan 24) – General Abd Al-Amir Rashid Yarallah, the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army, and his Turkish counterpart, Lieutenant-General Yaşar Güler, discussed joint military cooperation and exercises between their two countries on Wednesday.

According to a statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Yarallah spoke with Güler over the phone to discuss a number of topics related to security cooperation between the two countries.

“The contact examined military cooperation between the two sides and coordinated the role of the armies to promote stability and regional security and to participate in military exercises,” tweeted Yehia Rasool, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Commander-in-Chief, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

The contact examined military cooperation between the two sides and coordinated the role of the armies to promote stability and regional security and to participate in military exercises.

— يحيى رسول | Yehia Rasool (@IraqiSpoxMOD) December 1, 2021

The Iraqi and Turkish armies previously conducted joint military manoeuvres in September 2017, during the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum. Ankara and Baghdad held those joint exercises in response to that referendum, which they both opposed.

Read More: No joint Turkish-Iraqi military deployment to Kurdistan Ibrahim Khalil border crossing: Official

In a televised interview in August, Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad Saadoun said that Iraq had "reached a consensus" with Turkey to buy Bayraktar TB2 drones. He also said that Iraq “intended” to purchase 12 Turkish T129 ATAK attack helicopters and had sent a “request to buy” six mobile electronic warfare systems.

Saadoun’s remarks came a week after he attended the International Defense Industry Exhibition in Istanbul last August, where he had the opportunity to meet with senior Turkish defense officials.