Today, Wednesday morning, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards targeted the two bases of Ain al-Assad in the Anbar Province in western Iraq, and Harir in Arbil in the north. They include hundreds of American soldiers and officers. The following is a summary of the most important facts about these two bases.

Ain al-Assad base

  • The second largest air base in Iraq after the Balad air base.

  • It is located about 100 km west of Ramadi, in the Al-Baghdadi District, Anbar Governorate.

  • Al-Qaeda was built in 1980 by a Yugoslav company and then called Al-Qadisiyah, because its construction came after the famous battle of Al-Qadisiyah between the Iraqi and Iranian armies, and after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 it became called "Ain al-Assad".

  • It has great strategic importance, as it is located at the highest point above sea level in the regional region, and includes the headquarters of the seventh division in the Iraqi army.

  • During the Iran-Iraq war, al-Qaeda was harboring three squadrons of Russian MiGs, and was subjected to numerous air strikes.

  • After the American invasion of Iraq, the American forces occupied it and used it as a main transportation and supplies center until 2011, when the Iraqi forces took it, and it became a center for the seventh division of the Iraqi army. It also included a pedestrian school.

  • In 2014, Al Qaeda regained its importance due to its embrace of American soldiers, officers, and military advisers providing support to Iraqi forces in their war against the Islamic State.

  • After ISIS took control of al-Baghdadi, its fighters attacked and tried to storm al-Qaeda, but the United States did not evacuate its soldiers despite the danger and asserted that they had the right to defend themselves.

  • US President Donald Trump suddenly visited her in December 2018 to celebrate with American soldiers Christmas.

Trump visits Ein Al-Assad in late 2018 to celebrate with American soldiers Christmas (Reuters)

Silk base

  • It is located in Shaqlawa district, 75 km from the city center of Erbil, to the east, and is the closest American base from the Iranian border, not more than 115 km away from it.

  • It began being used by the US military in 2015 as part of the war against the Islamic State.

  • Equipped with defensive missiles, attack fighter aircraft and advanced radars.

  • US forces use them to train the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

  • Local sources revealed that the U.S. military expanded it in late 2018

  • It is believed to be the destination of the American soldiers after their withdrawal from Syria.