Turkey, Iraq agree to gradual handover of Bashiqa base

At UNGA, Iraqi PM al-Zaidi and Turkish President Erdogan agreed to a gradual transfer of Turkey's Bashiqa military base to Iraqi control, deepening security cooperation. The handover timeline and conditions remain unspecified, and the move signals a shift in Turkey's posture in northern Iraq after years of operations against PKK-linked targets. This could reduce bilateral friction but leaves the fate of Turkish counterterrorism operations in the region uncertain.