Ankara continues drills, expands role after NATO mission withdrawal from Iraq

Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence said the Turkish Armed Forces continue to play an active role in maintaining peace and stability across a broad geographic area through international missions and bilateral cooperation, even as NATO withdraws its mission from Iraq.

Speaking at a weekly briefing, Vice Admiral Zeki Aktürk, the ministry’s Press and Public Relations Advisor, said that following recent developments, NATO has decided to withdraw the NATO Mission Iraq. Turkish personnel previously stationed in Baghdad have been safely returned home, while Türkiye also supported the evacuation of personnel from allied countries under NATO’s plan.

Aktürk added that work has begun under NATO’s Southeast Regional Plan to establish a corps headquarters led by a Turkish general. He noted that efforts are underway to transform the headquarters into a multinational structure in coordination with NATO bodies, although approval procedures are still ongoing and the headquarters does not yet have an approved logo.

“The task of the proposed corps headquarters within the Regional Plans is to ensure the integration of the forces assigned to it and to support deterrence and defence activities in its area of responsibility. On the other hand, since NATO’s Southeast Regional Plan, prepared based on threat assessments, was previously approved by the allies, the planned establishment of this multinational corps headquarters has no connection to the recent developments in our region,” he said.

The Turkish military is also continuing a wide range of exercises and operational activities. These include the Türkiye–Azerbaijan joint command-staff exercise “Indestructible Brotherhood-2026” taking place in Sarıkamış from March 26 to April 1; the Türkiye–Pakistan joint command and special forces exercise (Cinnah-13) in Isparta and Ankara from March 29 to April 10; and another Türkiye–Azerbaijan joint exercise with live-fire drills in Kars from April 2 to April 22.

Beyond the region, Turkish forces have remained active in Northern Europe, where over a 60-day period they conducted five exercises, carried out five port visits in four countries, held bilateral training with two countries, and completed one heightened readiness operation, with rotation concluding on March 24.

In the Black Sea, the ninth activation of a mine countermeasures task group is underway from March 24 to April 4, involving both Turkish and foreign naval vessels. The Turkish Navy continues round-the-clock patrols and monitoring of maritime zones to ensure the safety of navigation. Aktürk said that on March 21, a US unmanned maritime vehicle was destroyed off the coast of Ordu after a technical malfunction, while the activities of Russian and Ukrainian unmanned systems in the Black Sea are being closely monitored.

Counterterrorism operations remain a top priority for Türkiye. Over the past week, two PKK militants surrendered to authorities, while ongoing operations continue to identify and neutralise mines, improvised explosive devices, caves, shelters, and bases. Authorities also detained 107 individuals attempting to cross the border illegally, including two members of terrorist organisations. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 1,524 people have been detained, and 16,929 attempts have been prevented.

By Tamilla Hasanova