Turkish intelligence chief in Baghdad for high-level security talks
Shafaq News - Ankara/Baghdad
Turkiye’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin held a series of high-level meetings in Baghdad on Tuesday to reinforce border cooperation and advance joint counterterrorism efforts, sources to Anadolu Agency.
Kalin, who heads the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), conferred with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, President Abdul Latif Rashid, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Additional talks were held with Defense Minister Thabit Abbasi, Intelligence Service Director Hamid al-Shatri, Sovereignty Alliance leader Khamis al-Khanjar, and Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
The Sunni-led Sovereignty Alliance holds parliamentary seats and represents Sunni Arab interests, particularly in western and northern Iraq.
The meetings focused on coordinated steps to eliminate cross-border threats and advance a shared objective of a “terror-free Turkiye.” Turkish security sources told Anadolu that Iraqi officials pledged full support at all institutional levels.
Officials also reviewed the status of the Iran-Israel ceasefire and discussed initiatives aimed at fostering regional stability and deepening bilateral relations.
Separately, Kalin met with Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) President M. Seman Agaoglu and senior ITC figures. The talks covered the security situation in Turkmen-majority areas and preparations for Iraq’s elections scheduled for November 2025, amid legislative changes and disputes over electoral law, districting, and minority representation.
Turkmen-populated areas in Iraq include towns and districts in Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmatu, Tal Afar, and parts of Diyala and Nineveh provinces. These regions are ethnically mixed and have long been contested among Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen communities.
