US contractors stranded in Iraq under threat of imminent attack: 'We are sitting ducks' [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Wed 18 Mar 2026 09.19 EDT
Last modified on Wed 18 Mar 2026 10.46 EDT


Hundreds of US contractors are stranded on a major military base near Baghdad, Iraq, with no evacuation plan, while local Iran-backed militants are possibly making plans to attack the base, three sources said.

The contractors are employed on the Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base, formerly Balad Air Base, to support the Iraqi government’s F-16 fighter jet program.

“With more than 200 American nationals on the base, the site is considered a high-value target, and the absence of visible preventative measures leaves us feeling exposed and vulnerable,” said one employee of defense contractor V2X on the base, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “All of us are pretty much sitting ducks at the moment.” V2X was approached for comment, but did not respond before publication.

Iraqi workers on the base have warned their foreign colleagues Islamic Resistance militants are making plans to attack the base once Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, ends later this week, contract workers said. Some Iraqi military and contract employees on the base have links to the militants and have been passing information to them in preparation for an attack, the sources said.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/18/us-contractors-stranded-iraq-iran

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Ramadan ends when the crescent moon is spotted, expected between tomorrow night - Friday night (Eid al-Fitr) and that is the time frame for when there is a potential for all hell to break loose.