Turkish Troops Said To Invade Iraq Near Mosul

• Turkish Troops Said To Invade Iraq Near Mosul
  by Tyler Durden, www.zerohedge.com
  CNN Turkey, citing security forces officials, is reporting what appears to be yet another escalation in the middle east maelstrom:
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  * TURKISH TROOPS ENTER MOSUL REGION IN IRAQ, CNN-TURK REPORTS
  * ABOUT 1,200 TURKISH TROOPS IN BASHIQA NEAR MOSUL: CNN-TURK
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  As Bloomberg reports, about 1,200 Turkish soldiers have entered the Bashiqa region near the Islamic State-held Iraqi city of Mosul, CNN-Turk reports citing Turkish security forces.
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  * Anti-Islamic State coalition members were informed of the move, Sabah newspaper reports
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  The number has now been “revised”: (top of post)
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  Of course the fact that Turkey has invaded Iraq isn’t the curious thing here. After all, Turkey technically invaded Iraq on September 8 and has launched ground incursions across the border on a handful of occasions over the past two decades or so. There was “Operation Sun” in 2008. And then there was “Operation Steel” in 1995. And “Operation Hammer” in 1997.” And “Operation Dawn.” And the aplty named “Operation Northern Iraq.”
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  You get the idea. The question is this: what are they doing near Mosul, an ISIS stronghold?
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  Here are some hints from Stratfor:
  Turkish troops reportedly entered Iraqi territory on Dec. 3, allegedly arriving at the Al Shikhan militia camp to help forces retake Mosul from the Islamic State, according to sources in the National Crowd for Liberating Ninevah militia and an anonymous peshmerga official, Aena News and Shafaq News reported Dec. 4.
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  So suddenly, just as the world is scrutinizing Turkey’s role in the Islamic State oil trade, Ankara decides to send anti-ISIS troops to Iraq? Are they trying to secure the crude trade and guard the trafficking routes? This should be interesting.
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  read more.

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