The U.S. military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are getting closer and closer in Iraq, even sharing a base, while Iran uses those militias to expand its influence in Iraq and fight alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime in neighboring Syria.
Two senior administration officials confirmed to us that U.S. soldiers and Shiite militia groups are both using the Taqqadum military base in Anbar, the same Iraqi base where President Obama is sending an additional 450 U.S. military personnel to help train the local forces fighting against the Islamic State. Some of the Iran-backed Shiite militias at the base have killed American soldiers in the past.
Some inside the Obama administration fear that sharing the base puts U.S. soldiers at risk. The U.S. intelligence community has reported back to Washington that representatives of some of the more extreme militias have been spying on U.S. operations at Taqqadum, one senior administration official told us. That could be calamitous if the fragile relationship between the U.S. military and the Shiite militias comes apart and Iran-backed forces decide to again target U.S. troops.
WNU Editor: I am willing to bet that everyone who is working at this base are also looking behind their backs to see who is behind them.
1 comment:
Apparently, Al Taqqadum will not fall.
Airbases falling attract attention. Maybe a better strategy from ISIS's perspective is to let it fall like a ripe fruit.
After the Iraqi government gave up its' effort to retake Ar Ramadi, it looked like Taqaddum was in jeopardy.
So the U.s. is sharing a base with the Iranian and June 30th will come and go with a bad deal or nor deal whatsoever.
Obama is a great leader... for someone.
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