Scores of American Military Bases in Iraq & Syria Explicitly Serving US Agenda

Since October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian-Israeli conflict intensified, attacks on both the US-led international coalition bases in Iraq and American troops in Syria notably escalated, with Shia armed groups in Iraq claiming responsibility for them. The US believes that these acts of aggression are being conducted by pro-Iranian factions.

The escalation of major regional tensions linked to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict poses an ever-growing threat of violence spilling over into the wider Middle East region.

After Washington vouched unwavering support for Tel Aviv in the wake of the violent ambush launched by Hamas against Israel last October, US troops and military contractors in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in over a dozen attacks. Risks were further heightened after the US and the UK carried out air strikes on Houthi targets in northern Yemen last week.

If a larger conflict were to explode, that could impact American military personnel based across the region. Sputnik puts the spotlight on the US's military footprint in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq

After invading Iraq in 2003 in a campaign based on false allegations that led to years of devastating hostilities and destruction, the United States continued its occupation of the country for almost 20 years. The US combat mission was finally brought to a formal end in December 2021. In July that year, US and Iraqi officials had agreed that the American contingent in the country would be reduced to a ‘non-combat advisory role.’

The current strength of the US so-called “train and assist” personnel is around 2,500, the Defense Department acknowledged early this year. Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing on January 8 that the DoD had “no plan” for withdrawal, adding: “We continue to remain very focused on the defeat IS* mission.”

Remaining soldiers under Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) - the official name for the US-led military coalition against IS* set up in 2014, were ostensibly tasked with training, advising, and providing intelligence to the Iraqi Armed Forces amid the ongoing fight against IS*.

“We continue to remain very focused on the Defeat ISIS* mission under CJTF-OIR, as we advise and assist the Iraqis. And as you’ve heard us say many times before, we’re there at the invitation of the government of Iraq,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters earlier this month. According to various sources, American military presence in Iraq is spread out across some of the following locations:

Al-Asad Airbase (originally known as Qadisiyah Airbase) in Haditha and Hit district of Al Anbar Governorate used to be the second largest US military airbase in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The base is believed to boast a perimeter of over 15 miles (24 km), and is the second largest USAF base in Iraq. It reportedly has 23 hardened shelters, two 3,990-meter paved runways and a 3,090-meter long dirt runway.

This is the air base that was targeted on January 8, 2020, by an Iranian ballistic missile in retaliation for the US killing of IRGC Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike. It is believed to be still in use by American forces as of January 2024. In 2023, the base was attacked amid the Gaza conflict escalation by Shia armed groups operating in the country. The rocket and drone attacks have been triggered by the latest explosion of violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The Harir Air Base, which hosts US and international forces, is situated in the vicinity of Erbil International Airport. Erbil is the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in the Erbil Governorate. Al-Harir Air Base, in Shaqlawa District, Erbil Governorate, used to bear the name of Bashur Air Base. It was taken over in the course of US-led Operation Northern Delay during the invasion of Iraq. The airbase, which houses the US-led global coalition against IS* was one of those targeted by attacks in response to Washington supporting Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The base is also deemed strategically important given it is the closest to the Syrian border.

Screenshot of photo featuring Bashur airbase in Harir, Erbil, Iraq, in 2021.

© Photo : FazelHawramy/Rudaw

The largest military air base in Iraq, Balad Air Base or Al-Bakir Air Base, is located near Balad, within the municipality of Yathrib. Its original name was Al-Bakr Air Base, but it was renamed after being seized in 2003 by the American forces during the Iraq War to Camp Anaconda. Camp Anaconda was colloquially dubbed at the time "Life Support Area Anaconda" or the "Big Snake," and housed 28,000 military personnel and 8,000 civilian contractors.

Camp Habbaniyah, which is currently a major Iraqi military airbase, used to be a British Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about 89 km west of Baghdad, on the banks of the Euphrates. After the end of Britain's presence, it began to be used by the United States Armed Forces, becoming known as Camp Habbaniyah. In 2015, the camp was a base for American 'trainers' amid the campaign against IS*.

Camp Victory at Baghdad International Airport and al-Taji military base, Baghdad Governorate, have been used for training Iraqi forces. The facilities sustained their share of rocket fire from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes Shia militant groups, in October 2023, according to Iraqi media.

Qayyarah Airfield West is an Iraqi Air Force base in the Qayyarah subdistrict of Mosul District in northern Iraq. It is located approximately 300 kilometers north of Baghdad, and was captured by the US Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, serving as a logistical hub.

Atrush Base Camp sits upon a high-quality oilfield near Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, discovered by the Consortium of General Exploration Partners.

Screenshot of X post reportedly showing attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria since October 2023.

© Photo : FactualNarrator

Syria

At least a dozen US bases dot the eastern third of Syria, with all of them tailored to serve the US agenda of weakening the legitimate Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad.

Most of the US military presence can be found in the Trans-Euphrates region, which is administratively divided into three provinces: Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Hasakah. The US occupation forces have been plundering oil and food-rich areas of the country's northeast since the mid-to-late 2010s. While initially wading in under the pretext of chasing IS,* American troops lingered behind after the terrorist group was routed from the war-torn country.

According to varying sources, there are anywhere between 900 and 2,000 US soldiers in Syria to ostensibly conduct counterterrorism operations against IS*, with a contingent of around 100 believed to be providing support to the so-called 'Free Syrian Army,' a coalition of opposition militias. Syria has repeatedly demanded that the US end its occupation, with Damascus and its allies emphasizing that the presence of American troops is "illegal."

Multiple media outlets have suggested that there are a total of 17 US military bases in Al-Hasakah, nine in Deir ez-Zor, and two in Homs. It is not surprising that the distribution of US presence creates a sort of cordon around the sources of Syrian oil and gas, which are situated to the east of the Euphrates River.

One of the main bases of the illegal US occupation of northeastern Syria, with its concentration of lucrative oil fields, is the al-Tanf outpost, in the southern desert that spreads to the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordan border. Al-Tanf, situated along the strategically significant Baghdad-Damascus highway, has been used by US troops for 'counterterrorism operations' and to train Syrian opposition factions since at least 2016. Syrian officials have often claimed that the US is using al-Tanf to destabilize the two countries' borders by enabling the transfer of terrorists from one side to the other. Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director, Sergei Naryshkin, recently accused the Americans of transporting ISIS* militants to al-Tanf, with the intention of conducting subversive activities on Syrian soil, and even targeting Russian sites. Unlike the US, who are currently operating in Syria without any official mandate, the Syrian government has invited Russia to aid in their fight against terrorism

Screenshot of map showing foreign military locations in Syria in mid-2023 compiled by "Jusoor Center for Studies" think tank in collaboration with "InformaGene for Data Analysis Foundation."

© Photo : Jusoor Center for Studies/InformaGene for Data Analysis Foundation.

Al-Omar, in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, northeastern Syria, is a US military base that sits atop the country's largest oil field. When the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and their US allies seized control of most of the country’s northeast, this included oil-rich territories east of the Euphrates River, such as the Al-Omar oilfield, and the massive al-Tabia gas field (both in Deir ez-Zor province), which has the capacity to produce up to 13 million cubic meters of gas per day.

These areas are only part of several major energy-rich areas illegally occupied by US forces in the country’s northeast, with American troops and their Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces allies regularly extracting oil wealth and smuggling it into neighboring Iraq in convoys of tankers.

Hemo base, located 4km west of Qamishli Airport, is believed to be a vital one for the US occupation forces in Syria. The village of Hemo is said to have housed a special training camp for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) where American forces train SDF militants. The facility hosted close to 350 American soldiers, however, according to Arab news reports, troops were evacuated as a result of repeated attacks by Islamic resistance factions in Iraq.

Other sites believed to be utilized by the US military are:

*IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL, is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other countries.