Turkish artillery in Bashiqa military camp are shelling the Islamic State (IS) militants in northern Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

The move in Mosul province came at the request of Peshmerga forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, he told reporters in the province of Afyonkarahisar.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, the Bashiqa town's capture, if confirmed, would mark the removal of one more obstacle on the road to the northern Iraqi city.

This is the first direct involvement of Turkish ground forces in the Iraq-led Mosul operation, local Yeni Safak reported.

The involvement of the Turkish military became a hot topic between Ankara and Baghdad, as the Iraqi administration strongly opposed Turkey's army participation in the operation.

Turkey has deployed more than 600 soldiers in the military camp which has been training local forces, but Baghdad identified their presence as "illegal."

Related

• Turkish forces strike IS positions in northern Syria
• IS militants exchange fire with Turkish forces near Syrian border town

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