The Turkish Presidential Office announced the transfer of the Zilkan military base in northern Iraq to the Iraqi government. This was preceded by a meeting at the UN between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeidi.
“Given Iraq’s security achievements, Turkish forces will gradually transfer the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to the control of the Federal Government of Iraq in accordance with an agreed mechanism and a specific timetable,” the two countries said in a joint statement.
The base, located in Iraqi Kurdistan, was occupied by Turkish troops in December 2015, becoming a stronghold for operations against Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants. In 2025, the party, which led an armed struggle against the Turkish government, announced its dissolution.