ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqis on Wednesday expressed concern over reports alleging the presence of a secret Israeli base in Iraq’s southern desert, despite authorities dismissing the claims as outdated images tied to a one-time incident in early March that killed one Iraqi soldier and injured two others.
“Where do I begin - with the Israelis, the United States, or the Iranian forces active in the country?” Hussein Falah, a retired government employee said.
“We do not have a strong government. We do not have an authority capable of securing our borders,” he lamented.
Similarly, Aliya Mohammed, a civil servant said the reports were “not a good thing, and they will affect our children,” adding, “The armed forces should be more vigilant and careful in protecting our territory.”
The unease on Iraqi streets, comes against the backdrop of a Saturday report by The Wall Street Journal, which stated that “Israel set up a clandestine military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who almost discovered it early in the war, people familiar with the matter, including U.