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Iraq | |||||
US sends intel officers to Iraq | |||||
2014-04-28 | |||||
The United States is quietly expanding the number of intelligence officers in Iraq and holding urgent meetings in Washington and Baghdad to find ways to counter growing violence by Islamic militants, U.S. government sources said.
The powerful ISIL, which seeks to impose strict sharia law in the Sunni majority populated regions of Iraq, now boasts territorial influence stretching from Iraq's western Anbar province to northern Syria, operating in some areas close to Baghdad, say U.S. officials.
One former and two current U.S. security officials said the number of U.S. intelligence personnel in Baghdad had already begun to rise but that the numbers remained relatively small. "It's more than before, but not really a lot," said one former official with knowledge of the matter. Much of the pressure to do more is coming from the U.S. military, the former official said, but it is unclear if the White House wants to get more deeply involved. After ending nearly nine years of war in Iraq, the United States has limited military options inside the country. About 100 U.S. military personnel remain, overseeing weapons sales and cooperation with Iraqi security forces. The U.S. government has rushed nearly 100 Hellfire missiles, M4 rifles, surveillance drones and 14 million rounds of ammunition to the Iraqi military since January, U.S. officials said. The Obama administration has also started training Iraqi special forces in neighboring Jordan. Before the U.S. military withdrew, it trained, equipped and conducted operations with Iraqi special forces.
In testimony before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in February, Brett McGurk, the State Department's top official on Iraq, described how convoys of up to 100 trucks, mounted with heavy weapons and flying al Qaeda flags, moved into Ramadi and Falluja on New Year's Day. Local forces in Ramadi subsequently succeeded in pushing militants back, but the situation in Falluja remained "far more serious," McGurk said. | |||||
Posted by:Steve White |
#1 Intelligence officers may not be the only thing being sent: Security Manager The Alion team in Dayton Ohio is seeking an experienced security manager to perform analysis in all Department of Defense security specialties (information, personnel, physical, industrial, IT) to ensure successful site activation and bed-down of F-16s at Balad AB, Iraq. The candidate must be willing to deploy to Balad AB, Iraq for up to one year with rest & relaxation (R&R) time-off at regular intervals. Must have a minimum of five (5) years working experience with DoD security processes and requirements. A working knowledge of Iraq customs is preferred but not required. Ability to speak Arabic is preferred but not required. Applicant selected will be subject to a background investigation and must pass deployment readiness training, including medical readiness. Applicant must be a U.S. Citizen and possess at least a SECRET Clearance. |
Posted by: Besoeker 2014-04-28 01:04 |