Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government Spokesman Sefin Dizayee has said that the Bashiqa and Duberdan training camps were set up over the approval of the Federal government of Iraq and the Defense Ministry.
"The camps were built up aiming to train the local forces after the Daesh terrorist organization intensified its attacks as a part of supporting Iraq from a large number of countries. The government approved the establishment of the camp," he said.
Ankara, in December 2015, deployed about 150 soldiers equipped with heavy weapons and backed by two dozen tanks to Bashiqa of Mosul, aiming at training and equipping Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against Daesh.
Iraqi officials have been saying that they don't accept the military presence of Turkey, while Ankara says they will continue to be there against Daesh.
"An operation will possibly be conducted against the Daesh terrorist in Mosul, as you all know. And everyone is also aware of the concerns of Turkey over Mosul. The reaction of Iraqi officials is incomprehensible. There are troops from 63 countries, however Baghdad is against the military presence of Turkey. Despite the statements of Iraqi forces, the Turkish military's presence will continue there," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on Thursday.
Iraq has suffered a devastating security gap since 2014, when Daesh captured the northern city of Mosul along with vast swathes of territory in the country's northern and western regions.
In recent months, the Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes and local allies on the ground, has since managed to retake much of the territory lost earlier to Daesh.
However, the terrorist group remains in firm control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.
