DUBAI, UAE - Iraqi lawmakers have started collecting signatures in the parliament in a bid to expel Turkish troops from the country’s north.

Mehdi Taqi Amerli, head of the Badr parliamentary bloc, said Sunday that his faction has gathered signatures in support of the initiative.

“The presence of Turkish forces is unjustified and constitutes an occupation,” Amerli said in a statement. “All agreements related to this matter should be annulled, and Turkey’s military presence in northern Iraq must come to an end.”

Lawmakers from Iraq’s Coordination Framework, have called on the government to take immediate diplomatic action to remove Turkish forces.

“The Iraqi government must act urgently to end Turkey’s military presence, which is illegal and constitutes a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty,” Mohammed al-Shammari, a Coordination Framework lawmaker told The New Region earlier.

“Ankara has used the PKK's presence as a pretext for years. Now that the group has announced it is laying down arms, Turkey has no justification to remain.”

The Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee also announced plans to address the issue in the coming weeks.

Yasser Watout, a committee member, told The New Region that lawmakers intend to summon senior government officials to discuss the removal of Turkish forces and military bases in Iraq.

“There is no justification for Turkey's continued military presence, especially after the PKK’s decision to disarm,” Watout said. “Iraq rejects any military solutions to this issue and will pursue diplomatic channels.”

Watout suggested that Iraq could also use economic pressure to encourage Turkey to withdraw its forces.

The move follows a Thursday call by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for the group’s fighters to lay down their arms. Turkey has long justified its military operations in Iraq by citing the presence of PKK fighters in the country’s northern Kurdistan Region.

Headquartered in the Kurdistan Region’s Mount Qandil, the PKK is an armed group that has fought for increased Kurdish rights in Turkey for decades. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Europe, and the US. 

Turkish forces have established military positions deep inside Iraqi territory, particularly in Duhok province, where operations have caused civilian casualties, destroyed farmland, and resulted in the establishment of multiple military bases in border villages.