Mohammed al-Kaka'i, head of the Security Committee at the Nineveh Provincial Council, announced on Tuesday that formal procedures had begun to transfer security responsibilities across the province to the Nineveh Police Command under a government order. The announcement coincided with reports of a partial withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Zilkan military camp in northern Iraq.
Al-Kaka'i stated that the Checkpoints Affairs Department had officially started taking control of the province's main entry points, beginning in Mosul, as well as security checkpoints distributed across various districts and subdistricts. The process is intended to complete the transfer of security responsibilities to local forces.
He explained that the move forms part of a plan to remove military deployments from urban centers and reposition military units outside residential areas. Local police will subsequently take charge of internal security, working in coordination with intelligence agencies.
On the Turkish military presence, Al-Kaka'i reported a limited withdrawal of personnel and military vehicles from the Zilkan camp. He said the move followed the completion of the missions that had justified their deployment and the decline of threats posed by ISIS and other armed groups, potentially paving the way for a gradual termination of Turkey's presence in the area.
On October 20, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Ankara would maintain its forces in Iraq until border security could be guaranteed.
Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan linked any gradual reduction in Turkey's military presence in Iraq to the implementation of Baghdad's plan to disarm armed groups, particularly the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and affiliated factions operating in Sinjar.
Speaking at a press conference at the Turkish House in New York, Fidan said Ankara would take steps toward reducing its military presence once the armed group's presence in the area had ended.
