Hundreds of US protection contractor personnel will evacuate Balad Air Base in Iraq resulting from “potential security threats,” Iraqi navy sources have advised the media.
Nearly 400 workers of Lockheed Martin and Sallyport Global stationed on the base north of Baghdad are resulting from go away the nation in a two-stage course of resulting from persevering with tensions with Iran, in line with Reuters. The evacuation follows final month’s recall of a whole lot of non-emergency diplomatic workers from the US embassy in Baghdad, which was additionally attributed to rising tensions with Iraq’s neighbor.
US contractors working at Balad present security, coaching, and different primary operations in addition to helping the Iraqi navy in upkeep of its F-16 fleet. The base was topic to investigation by the US Government Accountability Office and Department of Justice over alleged mismanagement, bribery, verbal abuse, and racism by some contractors.
Militants reportedly fired three rockets into Balad Air Base on Saturday, inflicting no casualties however beginning small brush fires which have been rapidly extinguished, in line with Iraqi navy sources. The in any other case unremarkable assault got here amid a buildup of tensions between the US and Iran that culminated Thursday morning within the downing of a US surveillance drone over Iranian airspace close to the Strait of Hormuz.