Turkish security forces kill 18 ISIL attackers in Iraq

Sevil Erku?sevil.erkus@hurriyet.com.trTurkish forces have killed 18 members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after jihadists tried to sneak into a training camp in the Bashiqa region of northern Iraq late on Jan. 7, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an confirmed on Jan. 8. 

"I have been told that some 18 Daesh terrorists who tried to sneak into the Bashiqa camp were neutralized," Erdo?an said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL while preferring the word "neutralized" which may be employed to mean either killed or apprehended. 

"There are no wounded friends; we have no such knowledge at the moment," Erdo?an added, referring to reports of Turkish soldiers being wounded in the attack. 

"Of course this [attack] only proves just how appropriate was the step taken regarding the camp," he said, referring to Turkey's decision to send reinforcement units to the camp in early December.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu told the media in Istanbul that Turkish presence in Bashiqa was "only against Daesh" and a "natural consequence" of Turkey's efforts to fight against terrorism along with the international coalition and the Iraqi government.

Davuto?lu added that Turkey had no other "agenda or secret goal" in Iraq.

"When the central Iraqi government gains control of the whole region so as to protect its sovereignty, then there will not be a need for Turkish presence," he said, reiterating Turkey's commitment to Iraq's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He also said that northern Iraq was an issue of national security for Turkey since the "presence of PKK and Daesh threatens Turkey more than any other country."

Turkish sources also told the Hürriyet Daily News that 17 ISIL members...