Turkey on Saturday denied that it has expanded its military activities in northern Iraq after it deployed troops close to an area controlled by the Islamic State group. 

"The camp in Bashiqa, 30 kilometres north east of Mosul, is a training facility established to support local volunteer forces' fight against terrorism," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised speech, denying reports that the deployment was in preparation for a ground operation against IS.