Iraq’s military denies unauthorized bases on Iraqi territory after WSJ report

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said Monday there are no unauthorized bases or foreign forces currently on Iraqi territory, responding to a Wall Street Journal report alleging Israel operated a secret military site in Iraq’s western desert during the regional conflict with Iran.

The command confirmed a March 5, 2026 incident in which Iraqi forces from Karbala Operations Command and Najaf engaged “unidentified and unauthorized detachments supported by aircraft,” resulting in one soldier killed, two wounded and a vehicle damaged. It claimed Iraqi forces maintained pressure in the area afterward, forcing the unauthorized detachments to withdraw under air cover.

“There are reports from the above duties approved by all security commanders confirming the absence of any unauthorized bases or forces throughout the past period from the aforementioned date until today,” the statement said.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter, that Israel established a clandestine outpost in Iraq’s western desert before its war with Iran, using it as a logistical hub for air force operations and housing special forces and search-and-rescue teams. The newspaper said Israeli forces launched airstrikes to prevent Iraqi troops from reaching the site after a shepherd reported unusual helicopter activity.

The command said “some are trying to politically exploit this incident” and warned that “necessary legal measures” would be taken against anyone spreading “misleading information or malicious rumors” about Iraq’s sovereignty. On Sunday, an adviser to outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also rejected the newspaper’s account, saying the incident involved an unidentified force attempting to recover an object that had “fallen from the sky” during the regional conflict.