World Bulletin / News Desk

Some of the Turkish troops deployed at the Bashiqa training camp in northern Iraq have been withdrawn to another part of northern Iraq, a Turkish military source said Monday.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the force left the camp in a convoy of 10 to 12 vehicles but did not say how many soldiers left the camp, when or where they were headed. An unspecified number of tanks also left.

Baghdad complained about the Dec. 4 deployment of troops to the site near Mosul, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and insisting the force was withdrawn.

Turkey said the 150 soldiers and up to 25 tanks were stationed at Bashiqa to protect servicemen training Iraqi volunteers to fight ISIL.

The training mission has been in operation since March and is not assigned combat duties.