US Military Setting Up New Base in Northern Iraq

Rasa - The US Forces are setting up a new military base Northwest of Mosul in Northwestern Iraq, an official disclosed on Sunday.

News ID: 438062

Date: 04 June 2018 - 22:59

RNA - The Arabic-language al-Yaqin news website quoted Jalal Khalou, deputy governor in Sinjar in Nineveh province, as reporting that the US forces are establishing a military base in Mount Sinjar Northwest of Mosul.

He further told the website that a sum of 15 American military vehicles have deployed to Mount Sinjar since Friday, adding that the forces plan to set up a military base in Mount Sinjar that is home to one of the most important points 125 km away from Mosul near the border with Syria.

In December 2017, Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari underlined strong opposition to the establishment of any permanent base by the US-led coalition in his country.

"The international coalition has no intention to have permanent military bases in Iraq after the ISIL is defeated. The international coalition's military intervention in Iraq was meant to support the Iraqi government's war against the ISIL on the condition that it would not violate the country's sovereignty," Jafari was quoted as saying by the Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper.

He explained that the coalition would remain in Iraq until all ISIL affiliates were uprooted in Iraq.

According to Fars News Agancy, his remarks came after Iraqi sources revealed in August 2017 that the US army started constructing its biggest military base in Iraq's Nineveh province in a bid to control the country's border with Syria.

"The US troops have kicked off the construction operations of the largest military base near the village of Kahriz in Zamar region West of the Tigris River in Nineveh province," Official Spokesman for Arab Tribes Group Mozahem al-Havit said.

He reiterated that the US also planed to construct four more military bases in other parts of Nineveh province, and said, "The US forces' mission in Western Mosul will be monitoring Iraq-Syria border from the West of Sinjar region to al-Qaem."

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