17 April 2021
They served alongside U.S. soldiers. Now they fear that Iran’s allies in Iraq will strike back. Saturday, 14 November 2020 20:25
![Protesters burn a building in front of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad in December 2019. Iraqis who have worked alongside U.S. forces fear they have become targets for Iranian-backed militias. (Khalid Mohammed/AP) At a time when militia attacks on supply convoys for the U.S.-led coalition and against other U.S. interests have been on the rise, the sharing of this information — including names, addresses and license plate numbers — could present a heightened threat to hundreds of Iraqis who have long worked with American forces, in particular as translators. The U.S. military provides this personal information to the Iraqi security forces, as required by Iraqi authorities, to secure permission for the translators to move around Iraq, according to documents and Iraqi military officials. But Iranian-backed militias have so permeated parts of Iraq’s security apparatus that the information has, in some cases, become accessible to groups that have taken up arms against the Americans and their local support staff, Iraqi officials say. “It’s not a surprise that militias have these documents,” said an official in Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s office. He added, “They believe it’s going to be a long battle, so they will gather as much leverage over U.S. interests as possible.” In June, a list purporting to contain personal information about Iraqis admitted to the Union III military base in Baghdad, the main headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition, was published by the Sabreen news agency, which is affiliated with Iranian-backed militias. The list included the names, addresses and identification numbers of Iraqi drivers and the make, model, year and license plate numbers of their cars, among other specifics, and the document bore logos of the U.S.-led military coalition and the U.S. Defense Department. The Washington Post could not independently verify the authenticity of the list. Separately, two Iraqi translators said they witnessed militiamen who were stationed near an Iraqi military checkpoint check a list containing personal information that had been acquired from a military coordination center run by the Iraqi security forces. “When we realized where the information had come from, we were shocked. The list contains everything. Phone numbers, ID numbers, even our real names,” said one translator from Baghdad. The Post reviewed a copy of the list and confirmed this description. “It’d be an easy mission to hunt us down,” the translator said. “They have all the information now. What if this list now goes online?” This man, like seven other translators interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. In response to a request for comment, a U.S. military spokesman said the U.S.-led coalition does not share personally identifiable information about the translators with the Iraqi military or government. But three documents obtained by The Post show that such information provided by the U.S.-led coalition has been circulated by various elements of the Iraqi security forces over the past year. The documents, all issued by the national operations center under Iraq’s prime minister, say the information was obtained from the U.S.-led coalition and then shared with Iraqi security forces, including at three military camps in Baghdad; the special division for the Green Zone in central Baghdad; and the military intelligence directorate. In one case, the document includes personal information for 143 of the employees. A senior Iraqi military officer said the U.S. military shared the information so the translators could travel outside military bases. When the U.S. military spokesman was asked about the documents showing that the U.S.-provided information had been given to various Iraqi security forces, he had no additional comment. The translators, who have been employed by Valiant Integrated Services, a Virginia-based contractor, represent one of the largest groups of Iraqis who have worked closely with the U.S.-led coalition. Many have served on the front lines with U.S. and other coalition troops, sleeping in the same foxholes and camping out in abandoned buildings as fighting raged around them. The threat facing the translators has grown more intense in recent months. Many have been laid off as the United States prepares to withdraw its forces from the country, leaving the former contract workers unemployed and potentially unprotected. The translator from Baghdad, now out of work, has been renting temporary accommodations with two former colleagues to hide out. But money is running out. “We are literally eating our savings buying food here,” he said. “We’ll be empty-handed by the end of the year.” Under its contract with the U.S. military, Valiant hires translators, formally known as linguists, for work in Iraq, Syria and other places. The company has shared little information publicly about its work and employees, citing contract restrictions. Militia access to the personal information of Valiant’s employees could exacerbate a threat long felt by Iraqi support staff, who in some cases already fear they have been identified by militiamen monitoring checkpoints and military bases. “We have interpreters right now who call me to say they have been threatened when they visit the bazaar or even just when they leave their homes,” said an Iraqi translator who coordinates a network of former support staff. “Some people have been told: ‘We can’t touch U.S. citizens here, but we can touch you.’ ” This translator, who lives in the northern city of Kirkuk, recalled a recent evening when he was leaving a busy cafe. A man he didn’t recognize approached from behind and tapped his shoulder firmly. “I turned around and he looked at me directly. He told me I had to leave this city,” recounted the translator. In response to a request for comment, the U.S. military declined to say whether it had taken any steps to protect the personal information of Iraqi translators and address the threats they now face as a result of this information being accessible to Iranian-backed groups. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said he had contacted Valiant and that the company had responded that “it does not share information that puts the safety for their warfighters or teammates in jeopardy.” The spokesman, Col. Wayne Marotto, said Valiant should be contacted for any further information. When contacted, Valiant did not provide further formal comment. But a person familiar with the issue said Valiant’s policy is to notify the appropriate military unit if a current or former employee reports a threat, which the person said has occurred “a few times a year.” The person added: “This is a priority. The military takes it from there.” When the U.S. military was contacted again and asked how it handles these threats once it has been notified, the spokesman provided no further comment. Although Iranian-backed militias participated in the U.S.-supported campaign to oust the Islamic State from its self-proclaimed caliphate, these armed groups have recently been escalating their attacks on American interests in Iraq, especially after the U.S. killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in January. Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi militias watch as photos of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, right, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis are unveiled in Karrada, Baghdad, on Jan. 20, a few weeks after both were killed in a U.S. drone strike. Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi militias watch as photos of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, right, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis are unveiled in Karrada, Baghdad, on Jan. 20, a few weeks after both were killed in a U.S. drone strike. (Emilienne Malfatto for The Washington Post) Militias in Iraq have described the translators as traitors. Iraqis driving equipment and logistics convoys on behalf of the U.S.-led coalition have been targeted. There have been at least 30 rocket or improvised explosive attacks on the convoys since the summer, according to figures compiled by Joel Wing, an Iraq expert and author of the Musings on Iraq blog, which chronicles security and political developments. At least two people have been killed and another eight have been wounded. Marotto, the coalition spokesman, referred questions about attacks on convoy drivers to the Iraqi military, because the drivers are employed by companies contracted by Iraq’s security forces. The Trump administration’s plans to draw down most of the remaining U.S. troops in Iraq have come amid escalating militia assaults against the convoys and other U.S. interests, including repeated rocket attacks on bases hosting American forces. Between March and August, hundreds of Iraqi personnel working in support of the U.S. mission received emails saying their contracts had ended because of a loss of funding, stoking fears that they would be even more vulnerable to revenge attacks once the Americans depart. Those who have been working remotely because of the coronavirus outbreak were told not to return to their bases. Those still working at military installations alongside U.S. soldiers said they were informed that their departure would be “coordinated” in short order. The U.S.-led coalition has been stationed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State since 2014. In September, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said the troop reduction — from about 5,200 to 3,000 — reflects the administration’s confidence that Iraqi security forces can handle the remaining threat from Islamic State militants in the country. While employed, the translators could report threats they received, and for the most part, they say, their complaints were taken seriously by the U.S. military. Some men were offered a safe place to stay on a military base. Others said their superiors made it clear that they had their backs. “I knew the risks when I signed on, but I also knew that the United States had told us that no matter the threat, they would stand by us,” said another translator from Kirkuk. During four years of service, he said, he had worked with the U.S. Navy SEALs and the Montana Army National Guard and had most recently been helping train Iraqi forces at two centers in northern Iraq. When he received his termination notice, he got goose bumps. “I knew then that it isn’t a matter of asking whether something will happen to us. It’s a matter of asking when,” he said. Another translator, who said he had worked with the Navy SEALs on the front lines against the Islamic State, said he had not believed a colleague who called to say their contracts had ended. “He told me to check my Gmail, so I did the thing where you drag the screen down to refresh. I really didn’t think anything would show up. When it did, we were all freaking out.” In late October, a little-known militia named Ashab al-Kahf addressed the translators directly in a statement, suggesting that the group would be willing to “forgive” and even provide a salary to those who identified themselves as working on a U.S. military installation. “Today we think it is beautiful to offer forgiveness to those who have insulted themselves, their religion and their country, who have rendered services to the American, the English, and the rest of the enemies of Iraq,” the statement said. A former translator in Baghdad said he saw the offer as a “trap,” adding, “Just like I predicted, the worst is yet to come.” The mounting peril comes as the Trump administration has been making it more difficult for people who fear war or other dangers in their home countries to move to the United States. The White House announced in October that it would reduce the annual cap on refugee entries to a record low of 15,000. While that number allocates up to 4,000 spots for U.S.-affiliated Iraqis per year, Iraqi applicants have been processed slowly, partly because of heightened security vetting. According to the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), there is a backlog of over 100,000 Iraqi applicants. The U.S. government also set aside 4,000 spots for Iraqis last year but only 161 were resettled, IRAP said. Meanwhile, the United States no longer allows Iraqis who worked with the U.S. government in Iraq to apply for a Special Immigrant Visas program, which stopped accepting new applications in 2014. A parallel program for Iraqi and Afghan translators remains open, but it is capped at 50 people per year. “Pathways for humanitarian protection for refugees from Iraq have so narrowed that they are basically closed,” said Sunil Varghese, IRAP’s policy director. One of the translators who had worked with the Navy SEALs said he had been “honored” to do so. “I’m so proud of all the days I’ve been working with the greatest forces in the world,” he said. “But the problem is that after they are gone, their government doesn’t care about us. We are literally left behind.” In the northern city of Irbil, a group of translators submitted a letter late last month to the U.S. Consulate there that they said was on behalf of about 400 people who had been hired by Valiant. “We are sure that you are well aware of the situation and the difficulties we face every day. For that, we are asking you kindly to reactivate [the visa] program that used to be provided for Linguists . . . just a few years ago,” the letter read. Hostile militias, it said, are “capable and willing” to hunt down translators who have supported the departing U.S. forces. “The situation for us is a matter of When rather than If.” Ryan reported from Washington. Nader Durgham in Beirut contributed. Iran-backed militias launch ‘conditional’ truce against U.S. in Iraq U.S. tells Iraq it is planning to withdraw from Baghdad Embassy Killing of Iraq government confidant exposes perils of showdown with Iran-backed militias 66 Comments Louisa Loveluck Louisa Loveluck is the Baghdad bureau chief. She was previously based in Beirut for the Post and worked as the Cairo correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.Follow Missy Ryan Missy Ryan writes about the Pentagon, military issues and national security for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2014 from Reuters, where she reported on U.S. national security and foreign policy issues. She has reported from Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Chile.Follow Mustafa Salim Mustafa Salim is a reporter in The Washington Post's Baghdad bureau. He joined the paper in 2014, covering the rise of the Islamic State and Iraq's military campaign to defeat it. 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At a time when militia attacks on supply convoys for the U.S.-led coalition and against other U.S. interests have been on the rise, the sharing of this information — including names, addresses and license plate numbers — could present a heightened threat to hundreds of Iraqis who have long worked with American forces, in particular as translators. The U.S. military provides this personal information to the Iraqi security forces, as required by Iraqi authorities, to secure permission for the translators…
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Iraqi parliament approves emergency funding bill offsetting shrinking revenues Saturday, 14 November 2020 20:22
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday passed an emergency spending bill to allow the cash-strapped government to borrow abroad as the economy reels from low oil prices, although they approved less than a third of the original amount requested. Under the new law, the finance ministry will be allowed to borrow $10.1 billion from international markets and local banks, much less than the $35 billion originally sought by the government. Due to infighting, parliament has failed to approve a…
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Saudi Arabia forges ties with neighbouring Iraq to counter Iranian influence Friday, 13 November 2020 03:56
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke late on Tuesday and agreed to enhance bilateral relations and co-operate to stabilise oil prices, which have plummeted on the international market. The two countries, which severed diplomatic ties for 25 years when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, held an online meeting to review and endorse deals signed in different areas in recent days. Both sides stressed the importance of “expanding and enhancing co-operation to serve the…
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Iraq closing displacement camps and leaving thousands homeless Wednesday, 11 November 2020 06:43
Up to 100,000 people could be forced to find new accommodation despite vulnerabilities, food insecurity and the raging pandemic Authorities in Iraq have closed a number of displacement camps with little or no notice to residents, leaving thousands in a vulnerable state amid the coronavirus pandemic and harsh winter conditions. Camps in Baghdad, Karbala, Divala, Anbar, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Sulaymaniyah had all faced closures, without new accommodation or food aid secured. As many as 100,000 displaced people were at risk as the…
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Iraqi forces kill protester, wound 40 in southern Basra: security, rights sources Sunday, 08 November 2020 05:20
BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces killed at least one anti-government protester using live gunfire and wounded at least 40 others in the southern city of Basra on Friday, security sources and a rights official said. It was the first killing of a protester by security forces in Basra since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office in May. Iraq’s interior ministry confirmed the death but said in a statement that no Iraqi security forces were being allowed to use…
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Iraq ratifies new election law, paves way for vote next year Sunday, 08 November 2020 05:15
BAGHDAD – Iraq’s president ratified Thursday a new election law aimed at giving political independents a better chance of winning seats in parliament, paving the way for early elections next year. President Barham Salih stressed the need for free, fair and transparent balloting that would restore Iraqi citizens’ confidence in the legitimacy of the process. The new law changes each of the country’s 18 provinces into several electoral districts and prevents parties from running on unified lists, which has in the…
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Protester Killed in Southern Iraq as Tensions Flare Again Sunday, 08 November 2020 05:07
BASRA, IRAQ - Iraqi security forces opened fire during clashes with hundreds of protesters in the southern city of Basra on Friday, killing one demonstrator and wounding several others as tensions flared once again, hospital officials said. The clashes erupted after some of the protesters tried to set up tents in a public square, a week after similar, previously erected protest tents in Basra and Baghdad had been removed. Dozens of young Iraqis were seen running away in panic after…
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Iraqi protesters close official building Saturday, 07 November 2020 04:07
Dozens of Iraqi protesters yesterday joined a sit-in in front of the municipal building of the country’s southern province of Dhi Qar, calling for the dismissal of Governor, Nazem Al-Waeli. Russia Today reported that the demonstrators had threatened to escalate the protest if the building was reopened. Pictures of Al-Waeli could be seen with a red cross over his face. Last month, Dhi Qar witnessed another protest over the kidnapping of a leader of the Popular Movement party after he accused…
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Drug smuggling, abuse on the rise in Iraq Saturday, 07 November 2020 04:02
Iraq’s Security Media Cell announced Oct. 30 the discovery of 6 kilograms (13 pounds) of hashish and 50 drug bars in al-Sakhrah area in the southern Maysan governorate, noting the increase in the drug trade and abuse in central and southern Iraq in particular. On Oct. 12, the investigative court for drug cases in Maysan reported, “The southern areas of the governorate are the most active in promoting narcotic drugs, and crystal meth [methamphetamine] makes up 90% of the substances trafficked there.” On Oct. 29, Zuhair al-Shaalan, governor…
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Roadside bomb kills three women in Iraq's Diyala province Saturday, 07 November 2020 03:59
Bomb explosions killed three women and wounded three policemen in Diyala province north of Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said on Thursday. A statement by the Media Security Cell, a division of the prime ministry, said the three women were riding a three-wheeled vehicle – known as a satuta – north of the city of Baquba when the roadside bomb exploded. “A second bomb exploded when a police force arrived to the scene, wounding three of its members,” the statement said. Diyala…
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Iraqis Return to al-Tahrir Square—New Flash Protests Thursday, 05 November 2020 17:09
Tired from corrupt politicians and a bad livelihood as well as Iran’s guided militias and their terror operations, Iraqi people took to the streets again. On the first anniversary of the October 2019 protests, Iraqi demonstrators heat up the protests called the “October Revolution.” Various cities are witnessing anti-establishment rallies demanding an account of the corrupt and murderers of the demonstrators. In the cities of Kut, Hilla, and Nasiriyah, slogans were chanted calling for the trial of those who killed more than 600 people. The scene in the southern city of Basra…
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