Turkey Begins Procedures to Hand Over Bashiqa Base to Iraq

Turkey announced on Sunday that it would begin the necessary steps to gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilikhan base to the Iraqi government, as part of a joint security agreement related to developments in Sinjar.

The Turkish Presidency's Communications Directorate stated in a joint statement with Iraq published today, November 8, 2026, that Ankara would initiate the procedures required to transfer the base to the Iraqi federal government, implementing the understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries last September 23.

The statement added that both countries decided to activate the "Joint Security Coordination Committee," whose formation had previously been agreed upon, to verify and jointly monitor progress in the ongoing process in Sinjar, aiming to end the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the region.

Both sides affirmed their commitment to continuing what they described as "commendable steps" taken by the Iraqi authorities so far to fully establish state authority in Sinjar and end the presence of party elements.

In response, a statement issued by the media office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces reported that the Joint High-Level Committee between Iraq and Turkey held a meeting to discuss outstanding files between the two countries, agreeing to begin the necessary procedures for the gradual handover of the base and to activate the joint security committee.

The Iraqi statement used the term "armed groups" when discussing ending armed presence in Sinjar, while the statement published by the Turkish Presidency explicitly named the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

This development comes after the leadership of the Sinjar Resistance Units and the Women's Units in Sinjar announced last October 26 that they had reached an agreement with the Iraqi government to end their independent military affiliation and integrate 4,165 male and female fighters into federal security institutions, within the framework of the policy of restricting weapons to the state.

Iraqi authorities announced at the time the start of taking over military sites in Mount Sinjar, paving the way for transferring security responsibility to federal forces, while confirming that procedures for integrating fighters and their weapons had already begun.