Pro-Iran factions prompt US to terminate the contracts of all Iraqi companies working with it forces, a source revealed

Shafaq News/ An Iraqi military official at Ain Assad base in al-Anbar governorate revealed on Sunday that the US military had terminated the contracts of all Iraqi companies in charge of services and rehabilitation in the base, indicating that it is seeking non-Iraqi companies for this job.

The official told Shafaq News agency that the US forces decided to dispense with the local companies for security reasons related to the threats of armed groups allied to Iran to those who collaborate with US forces in particular, and the international coalition in general.

He indicated that several companies, most notably KBR, a company specialized in engineering and construction, were brought in from Kuwait to provide services to the operating forces and manage and follow up with the rehabilitation and maintenance of the base.

The military official pointed out that these companies entered Iraq under the umbrella of the Global Coalition. Therefore, it did not require visas or prior approvals since their work is related to the military aspect and limited inside the base only.

He stressed that the measure came because of the threats by Iraqi armed groups to local people cooperating with the US forces to obtain information.

It is noteworthy that the frequency of targeting the embassy, American forces, and military bases in which foreign troops are stationed has increased since last year, specifically after the assassination of the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Qassem Soleimani, in an airstrike near Baghdad International Airport early 2020.