Speaking to reporters Sunday, Binali Yildirim said Kurdish peshmerga forces "requested support from our soldiers at the Bashiqa base" and that Turkish tanks and artillery were now aiding them. Baghdad labels the move a violation of its sovereignty and demands Turkish withdrawal, a call which Ankara ignores. The Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, said in a statement that the area that was cordoned off measures around 100 square kilometers (38 square miles). He declined to say whether any civilians or Iraqi forces were killed. The Mosul offensive involves more than 25,000 Iraqi ground forces as well as U.S.-led coalition aircraft and advisers.

Source: ABC News October 23, 2016 10:22 UTC