Turkey seeks parliament's approval to send troops to Iraq

Ankara, Oct 1 (IANS/EFE) The Turkish government has submitted a request to parliament seeking authorisation to send troops to Syria and Iraq to combat Islamic State (IS) militants, officials here Wednesday said.

The proposal, sent Tuesday to the Turkish Legislative Council, seeks its approval to send the forces to the two countries and to allow the presence of foreign troops in Turkey.

Ankara justifies the request with the need to take all measures in the framework of international law against terrorist threats to Turkey's national security.

The request cites the possible risks of attacks by terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq, and also the risks from mass migration into Turkey as a result of these attacks.

More than 1.5 million Syrian refugees have entered Turkey since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, escaping the fighting between government forces and an array of rebel groups.

In recent weeks, an estimated 140,000 Kurds from Syria have fled to Turkey.

--IANS/EFE

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