John Kirby answered the questions of the press in the Washington daily press meeting. Being reminded of President Erdoğan’s speech about Mosul and Iraq Prime Minister al-Abadi, Kirby said, neigbouring countries must respect Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The Turkish forces that are deployed in Iraq are not there as part of the international coalition and the situation in Bashiqa is a matter for the governments of Iraq and Turkey to resolve," said Kirby.
Kirby said, the dialogue between Turkey and Iraq is supported by USA, “We call all administrations to focus on our common enemy IS. Counter measures against IS must be coordinated by all parties.”
Answering the question about Mosul Operation, “Taking back Mosul is an Iraqi business. We will keep supporting Iraqi Forces as we did in the past. But the timing is up to Iraqi administration.” Said Kirby.