Erdogan: Turkish troops in Iraq at Iraqi PM's request since 2014 – Reuters

REUTERS

"We were asked by Prime Minister al-Abadi to help train soldiers and, at his request, we set up a training camp in Bashiqa in 2014," Erdogan said, according to Reuters.

Erdogan said Abadi "did not say a word until just now" because of developments in the region.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to press Turkey to pull troops from north Iraq.