Iraq's Prime Minister on Monday said that most of the oil produced in territory held by Daesh, also known as ISIL, in Iraq and Syria is being smuggled through Turkey.
In a meeting withGerman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Haider al-Abadi "stressed the importance ofstopping oil smuggling bythe terrorist gangs ofDaesh, most ofwhich is smuggled throughTurkey," according toa statement posted onhis website.
Abadi's comments mirror those expressed byRussia. Moscow has said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family were personally benefiting fromsmuggling oil fromDeash-held territory.
Erdogan had denied the accusations, and has said he would stand downif they were proven tobe true. Additionally, Ankara says it has made progress incombating fuel smuggling networks that have operated onits borders fordecades, Reuters reported.
The remarks fromAbadi come amidheightened tensions betweenBaghdad and Ankara, which deployed approximately 600 additional troops toa camp inIraqs Ninevah province, close tothe city ofMosul.
Iraq says the deployment violates its sovereignty, and has threatened tocomplain tothe United Nations Security Council unless Turkey withdraws its forces.