Iraqi PM says no deal with Turkey over participation in Mosul battle

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday said there is no agreement with Turkey about its troops' participation in the battle to free the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS).

A statement issued by Abadi's office said that the prime minister received in his office the U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter who arrived earlier in Baghdad to meet with Iraqi leaders to discuss the Iraqi offensive against the IS militants in Mosul.

"The reports which said there was an agreement between Iraq and Turkey are not true," the statement quoted Abadi as saying.

"A Turkish delegation had arrived in Baghdad on Sunday and held meetings, but its suggestions were not enough for Iraq," Abadi said.

"We tell everyone that the battle of Mosul will be carried out only by Iraqis and we will not allow any force to intervene," Abadi said.

Carter asserted that all the countries assisting Iraq should respect its sovereignty and not offer any help without Iraq's permission, according to the statement.

On Friday, Carter had signaled conditional support for a possible Turkish role in the battles to free Mosul and said there was an agreement in principle that could allow Turkish participation, but he acknowledged that Iraq would need to agree.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are already in Iraq, serving as trainers and advisers, in an attempt to help the country win the battle against IS militants in the country's northern city of Mosul.

The U.S.-led coalition has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in Iraq and Syria.

On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled. Endit