Turkey: Battle for Iraq's Mosul could spark sectarian strife
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Turkey is warning that the planned offensive in Iraq to retake that country's second-largest city of Mosul from the Islamic State group could spark Shiite-Sunni sectarian tensions.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told ruling party legislators in parliament on Tuesday that the U.S.-led coalition plans to retake Mosul are "not transparent."
He warned of the risk of "enflaming" sectarian tensions if the Sunni Arab-majority region around Mosul were to be placed under Shiite militia control after the offensive.
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Yildirim also warned Turkey is capable of routing Syrian Kurdish fighters from northern Syria if they continue to ignore Ankara's demands for a full withdrawal east of the Euphrates River.
Turkey says the Kurdish militia, which it claims is affiliated with Turkey's outlawed Kurdish rebels, has not pulled back despite promises.