Gorilla’s Guides

The United States plans to build a military airport near the northern Iraqi town of Halabja, which borders Iran, Iraqi media reports.
Khadr Karim Mohammad, the mayor of Halajaba, speaking to Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Wednesday, explained how the construction would proceed.
He said the municipality has allocated an estimated 1500 acres of land east of the town for this purpose and provided the necessary maps for the major project.
Meanwhile, an anonymous Iraqi official said the project is likely to be a “cover” for an air base, which could serve the Americans in their military operations in the region.
When asked about the motives of the US in establishing such a large airport so close to the Iranian border, the mayor said that he was not privy to any further details of the project.
However, he did add, “All owners of the lands will be compensated according to the law.”
Another source in the Governorate of Sulaimaniyah noted that the size of the airport indicates it is a large military base “funded by Americans.” The Americans have inspected the allocated land several times, he added.
The official also revealed that a number of US delegations have visited the region frequently since 2003,“They were studying the roads leading to Iran, under the pretext of providing services to the town,” he elaborated.
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde in early 2007, Massoud Barzani, the President of the Autonomous Kurdish Government, welcomed the plans on the proviso that there is consensus from the governments in Baghdad and Erbil.
Halabja lies about 11 kilometers from the Iranian borders and it is located in the northern province of Sulaimaniyah which is ruled by Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government.

Press TV - US military base near Iran border?

BEIJING, July 17 — The White House insisted on Monday that talks with Iraq on a deal governing a long-term U.S. military presence there are “on track” but declined to restate a July 31 deadline for sealing the accord.

    In fact, there are three overriding reasons for the Bush administration to reach a long-term security pact with Iraq.

    First, time is running out for Washington. The Iraq War, a preemptive war that was not authorized by the United Nations in the first place, has dragged on for five years. As Bush’s days in the White House are counting down, it is an imperative that his administration work out a solution to get out of the Iraq War as soon as possible.

    Adding urgency to the issue is the fact that the UN mandate for the foreign military presence would expire in December. The Bush administration wants to clinch a security pact with Iraq, which, on the one hand, would urge the Iraqi government to take the security matters into its own hands, and on the other hand, maps out a framework for future cooperation between the US and Iraq.

    Second, the US wants to ensure control over Iraq and Iraq’s Maliki government while exerting influence on the entire Middle East as a whole.

    Initially, Washington pinned its hope on the new Iraqi government formed after the fall of Saddam. The Maliki government, plagued by the incessant religious sectarian clashes and poor security situation in the country, however, has failed to live up to Washington’s expectations. Instead, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s always resents America’s policies in Iraq.

    Meanwhile, Iraq and Iran, two former foes, are repairing their ties, worrying Washington. Under such circumstances, signing an agreement with the Iraqi government to lay foundation for future relations framework becomes even more of an imperative for the outgoing Bush administration.

    If Washington can keep the Maliki government on its side and control him, it will be of great strategic significance for the US to consolidate its geographical advantage in the Middle East, conducive to its anti-terror initiative in the region, deal with Iran and mediate the Israel-Arab conflicts.

    Thirdly, Washington wants to retain its strategic advantage in the post-Iraq War era in the region. World powers have never ceased paying their attention to the Middle East since the Iraq War. The American military presence in Iraq could bring huge benefits to the US as it can contain Iran and will deter Russia and other countries from having their own military presence.

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