Iraq denies reports of foreign military presence in western desert regions
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi security forces found no evidence of foreign troops or military equipment during search operations in the western desert regions, particularly in Karbala and Najaf provinces, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command confirmed on Sunday.
Head of the Security Media Cell, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, indicated that the incident referenced in recent reports dates back to March 4, 2026, when Iraqi forces stationed east of al-Nukhaib in the Karbala desert clashed with unidentified armed groups supported by air cover, leaving one Iraqi security member dead and two others wounded.
Iraqi forces maintained their deployment in the area afterward and carried out extensive search operations across all sectors without finding any trace of the groups or military equipment, he added.
The statement followed claims published by Israeli outlet JFeed alleging that US forces intervened to prevent Iraqi security agencies from inspecting suspicious activity at a purported Israeli-linked airbase inside Iraq. The report claimed the facility operated as a covert hub for Israeli special forces and a logistical support center for the Israeli Air Force during operations targeting Iran, with a temporary 1.6-kilometer airstrip reportedly built on a dry lake bed roughly 180 kilometers southwest of Najaf and Karbala, allowing aircraft to shorten flight routes and avoid conventional monitoring near Iranian borders.
JFeed also alleged that the reported US intervention raised questions over Iraqi sovereignty and Washington’s influence in the country, while pointing to possible operational coordination between the United States and Israel despite Baghdad’s declared neutrality and rejection of any Israeli presence on Iraqi territory.
Neither the US Department of War nor the Israeli Ministry of Defense has commented on the allegations.
Israeli newspaper Maariv had previously reported that Israel operated a secret military base in Iraq’s western desert during the 2026 conflict with Iran, deploying commando teams, emergency medical units, and special forces to the area.
