World

Iraq's foreign chief: Baghdad doesn't want foreign military personnel on its soil to fight IS

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari speaks to the media during a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu after their talks in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) (The Associated Press)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks to the media during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jafari, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) (The Associated Press)

Iraq's foreign minister says Baghdad doesn't want foreign military personnel on Iraqi soil to combat Islamic State group extremists, but would accept training from abroad for its soldiers.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari made the comments in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu said Turkey was ready to train and equip members of the Iraqi military and police force.

Relations between Ankara and Baghdad had soured in recent months due to the sale of oil by Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region to Turkey without Iraqi central government consent. Baghdad says it has the sole right to develop and market Iraq's natural resources.

Ankara recently allowed about 150 Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters through Turkey en route to the Syrian border town Kobani, where Kurdish forces are battling IS.