Shafaq News- Erbil

Baghdad's agreement with Ankara to transfer control of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military camp is unlikely to succeed without coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed said on Tuesday.

At a press conference, Ahmed criticized Baghdad for excluding Erbil from the talks, noting that the camp “lies behind Peshmerga lines.” “Experience has shown that such arrangements will not succeed without consulting and coordinating with the Kurdistan Regional Government.”

Read more: Turkiye to hand over Bashiqa-Zilkan base to Iraq

The September 23 agreement paired the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp with commitments to restore full Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and end the presence of what the joint statement called “proscribed” foreign armed elements there.

Turkiye has said broader reductions in its military presence in Iraq would depend on progress in dismantling the PKK and affiliated armed structures, particularly in Sinjar.

On the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Ahmed described its presence in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) as “unlawful from the outset” and reiterated Erbil’s support for the peace process in Turkiye and the group’s disarmament, which he argued would help end military operations and instability along the KRI's borders.

Read more: The Kurdish rebellion dissolves: Turkiye’s century-old equation evolves