Pentagon chief holds talks with Turkish leaders in Ankara

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he would stress the need to respect Iraq's sovereignty during a visit to Turkey on Friday, which has been locked in a dispute with Baghdad over who should participate in the campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State. During the visit Carter met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Defence Minister Fikri Isik and visited Turkish parliament that came under attack during a failed coup attempt in July. Ankara has been in a row with Iraq over the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, as well as over who should take part in the offensive in the largely Sunni Muslim city of Mosul, once part of the Ottoman empire and still seen by Turkey as firmly within its sphere of influence. Erdogan has warned of sectarian bloodshed if the Iraqi army relies on Shi'ite militia fighters.