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U.S. relies on Persian Gulf bases for airstrikes in Iraq

The U.S. military is relying on bases in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere in the Middle East to carry out airstrikes in Iraq, but is masking the locations and other details about the units and aircraft involved to avoid embarrassing partners in the region. The Persian Gulf monarchies have long hosted U.S. forces to bolster […]

Craig Whitlock reports for the Washington Post:

The U.S. military is relying on bases in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere in the Middle East to carry out airstrikes in Iraq, but is masking the locations and other details about the units and aircraft involved to avoid embarrassing partners in the region.

The Persian Gulf monarchies have long hosted U.S. forces to bolster their own security. But most have shied away from acknowledging the American presence and are even more reluctant now with U.S. warplanes bombing Iraq. The arrangement is especially delicate given long-standing accusations from Washington that wealthy donors in the Gulf underwrite terrorist groups, including Islamic militants being targeted by the Pentagon.