Turkey is to begin withdrawing its troops from the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base in northern Iraq this month, Baghdad has said, in a move analysts say could improve relations between the two neighbours.

Iraqi armed forces spokesman Sabah al-Numan told the Iraqi News Agency the phased withdrawal would start in November and finish by the end of the year, with the base passing to Iraqi security forces by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

A base that strained relations since 2015

Turkish troops have been stationed at the base, near Mosul in Nineveh province, since 2015, when Ankara set it up to train local forces fighting the Islamic State group. The deployment was agreed with the Kurdistan Regional Government but never authorised by Baghdad, and successive Iraqi governments have called it a breach of sovereignty.

A joint statement issued on Sunday said Turkey would "begin taking the necessary steps" to hand the base over gradually to Iraq's federal government. The two sides also agreed to activate a Joint Security Coordination Committee to verify the elimination of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the area.

Agreed in New York in September

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi agreed the transfer in September, at a meeting in New York, citing progress Iraq had made on security.

Francesco Schiavi, an independent Middle East analyst, said the base had been "a source of friction between Ankara and Baghdad" since 2015, and its handover was "a tangible step towards restoring Iraqi sovereignty".

Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East analyst at the RANE Network, said the withdrawal did not necessarily mean all Turkish forces would leave northern Iraq, but "the trajectory suggests that is becoming a more distinct possibility".