Iraqi VP, Turkish ambassador discuss Daesh fight, Mosul

By Haydar Hadi

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi met with Turkish Ambassador in Baghdad Fatih Yildiz on Tuesday, with whom he discussed the latest regional developments.

According to a statement issued by al-Nujaifi’s office after the meeting, the two men discussed bilateral ties, the ongoing fight against Daesh in Mosul, and prospects for the war-battered city’s future.

Yildiz also briefed the Iraqi vice-president on his recent visits to the Iraqi cities of Karbala and Najaf.

"Regarding the city of Tal Afar [located some 60 kilometers west of Mosul], the situation is very sensitive,” read the statement by al-Nujaifi’s office.

“Sunni and Shia Turkmen must act together to control the territory with a view to saving the region and preventing unanticipated events," it added.

The statement went on to note that the Iraqi vice-president hoped to see Turkey contribute to the eventual reconstruction of post-Daesh Mosul.

-Sinjar

Noting a marked increase in the number of civilians fleeing Daesh-held western Mosul, al-Nujaifi’s office pointed to “indications of potential problems” in the nearby Sinjar district due to the presence of the PKK terrorist group.

"Along with the situation in Tal Afar and the Nineveh Plain, conflicts between the region’s [ethnic] minorities must be resolved with due regard to the public will," the statement read.

It went on to assert that the Nineveh Guards Force -- comprised of Turkish-trained local fighters -- had cooperated closely with the Iraqi army in the recent “liberation” of eastern Mosul, withdrawing from captured territory when ordered to do so.

Al-Nujaifi’s office also called for rapprochement between Iraq’s disparate political parties.

Yildiz, for his part, stressed Ankara’s readiness to stand by Iraq in the ongoing fight against terrorism and in terms of Mosul’s eventual reconstruction, according to the same statement.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara