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Turkey-Iraq Bashiqa Military Base Handover
Turkey agreed on September 23, 2026 to gradually hand over its Bashiqa-Zilkan military base in northern Iraq to the Iraqi federal government, following talks between the two countries' presidents.
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Turkey announced on September 23, 2026 that it will hand over control of its military base in Bashiqa, northern Iraq, to the Iraqi federal government (SCMP, September 23). The announcement came in a joint statement from the Turkish presidency following a meeting between the Turkish and Iraqi presidents (SCMP, September 23).
The joint statement said: "In light of progress achieved by these security measures implemented by Iraq, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to the Federal Government of Iraq in accordance with the agreed mechanism and timetable" (SCMP, September 23).
The Bashiqa base has long been a point of friction between Ankara and Baghdad; Turkey established a military presence there years ago ostensibly to train forces fighting Islamic State, but Iraq has repeatedly demanded its withdrawal, viewing it as a violation of sovereignty. The handover, if completed, would mark a significant shift in Turkey-Iraq security relations and could be connected to broader Turkish military recalibration, including its defence spending trajectory and ongoing negotiations with the US over S-400 sanctions relief.
This development will likely require tracking for follow-up on implementation timelines, Kurdish regional government reactions, and whether it signals broader Turkish military drawdowns in northern Iraq.