A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster departs from a Coalition airfield in Northeast Syria, June 26, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by SrA Izabella Sullivan)
The United States is planning to establish a new base in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar, an Iraqi security source told local news outlets on May 23.
The unnamed sources suggested that the U.S. wants to establish a presence in al-Anbar, which borders both Syria and Jordan, because it hosts some of Iraq’s richest oil and gas fields. The security situation in the province, which was once considered a stronghold of ISIS, has also improved significantly in the last few years, according to the source.
The U.S. maintains some 2,500 troops in Iraq under the pretext of fighting ISIS .Most of these troops are deployed in military installations in Baghdad and in the northern autonomous Kurdistan region.
Recently, Iraqi news outlets revealed a plan by the U.S. to further expand its presence within Ayn al-Asad Air Base, which is located in al-Anbar.
The U.S. faced much political pressure from Iran’s allies in Iraq and its troops came under dozens of attacks by armed groups said to be backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after it assassinated Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, and Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassim Soleimani, near Baghdad more than three years ago.
Despite these threats, Washington appears to be determined to maintain a military presence in Iraq as well as in neighboring Syria for the long term.
Around 900 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Syria, between oil and gas fields in the northeastern region of the country and a garrison blocking the strategic Baghdad-Damascus highway in the southeastern region.
By further expanding its military presence in al-Anbar, the U.S. will not only keep Iraqi oil fields under sight, but also make sure that the country’s contact with Syria remains weak. Washington apparently believes that cooperation between the two neighboring countries could play in favor of Tehran.
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