Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani criticises 'Neo Ottoman conqueror' Turkey's deployment.

Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani criticises 'Neo Ottoman conqueror' Turkey's deployment. (ET).

Iraq’s top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani criticised the deployment of Turkish troops and tanks to the country’s north.

The Iraqi capital of Baghdad says the movement took place without its approval.

Iraq has demanded that Ankara remove the newly-deployed forces, which were sent to a base near the city of Mosul, but Turkey has pushed for them to stay.

No country should “send its soldiers to the territory of another state under the pretext of supporting it in fighting terrorism without the conclusion of an agreement… between the governments of the two countries,” Sistani said in remarks delivered by a representative at weekly Friday prayers.

Abadi said Friday that he directed the foreign ministry to make a “formal complaint” over “the Turkish incursion.”

And he called on the United Nations Security Council to “protect Iraq and its security, sovereignty, safety and territorial integrity, which were violated by Turkish forces”, a statement from his office said. Read the full story here.

P. #Erdogan is declaring himself the defender of the Sunni-Umma in #Iraq. Competing with #ISIS? https://t.co/gBxvw4fSA0

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) December 11, 2015

@EjmAlrai Pretty obvious Erdo wants the #Sunni part of #Iraq to join #Turkey. This will mean WAR.

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) December 11, 2015