Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement and said that there is no agreement between Baghdad and Ankara on Turkey’s troops in Iraq. Iraqi officials noted that the only agreement between Turkey and Iraq was regarding Turkey’s training of Iraqi police inside Turkey.

Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office officials stated that the 2009 agreement between the prime ministers of Iraq and Turkey did not involve any border crossing and only authorized Turkey to train Iraqi police officers within Turkey. Iraqi officials underlined that the 7th protocol of the 2009 agreement did not allow Turkish tanks and artillery to cross into Iraq in any way, and said that Turkish troops crossing happened without the knowledge of the Iraqi Government. Iraqi officials said that if the training of police officers is understood as the crossing of army tanks and artillery, then Israeli tanks and artillery could enter Turkey because there are training agreement between Turkey and Israel.

In its statement, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office highlighted Turkey’s request to send in military force, and said that Iraqi officials denied this request because they do not think that Iraq needs the force of its neighbors. Iraqi officials stated that Turkish troops’ presence will deepen the conflict in the region, and Turkish soldiers are not a part of the international coalition fighting ISIS. Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office said that Turkey was the only foreign force that had tanks, artillery and armored vehicles inside Iraq, and reiterated that the Iraqi government has never approved, verbally or in writing, the crossing of Turkish armed forces into Iraqi territory.