According to reports in the Turkish media the minister of defense made a statement on Tuesday evening announcing that Turkey would take part in the offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Defense Minister Fikri Işık, who said Turkey had reached an agreement with “coalition forces” on the participation of the Turkish air forces in the Mosul operation, added that no decision could be made regarding Mosul’s future without Turkey’s involvement.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has said earlier on Monday that Turkish jets are taking part in an operation seeking to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the ISIL but later admitted that he was lacking any details on the effort.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been critical of the opposition to Turkey’s involvement, saying that the country’s history requires Turkey to be a part of the offensive. He said on Monday that Turkey would be at the table, in reference to negotiations concerning the future of Iraq.