Iraq: Large plume of black smoke seen rising from major US base near Baghdad

A reporter for Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese pan-Arabist satellite TV channel, captured pictures of a massive black plume of smoke billowing from the Camp Victory military camp outside Baghdad, Iraq where US Marines are believed to be stationed. Iraq and the United States agreed in July to withdraw all American combat forces from Iraq by the end of the year. Some Shia militias have threatened that they will not stop fighting until all US forces have been removed.

The video, shot from a car driving down a local road, shows the black plume rising hundreds of metres into the sky, blowing as smaller clouds of white smoke, likely water vapour, surround its base, the clip was shared by Tehran Times. News Agency Sputnik is currently verifying the clip and is unable to vouch for its validity.

Camp Victory is a major military installation located near Baghdad

Camp Victory is a major military installation located near Baghdad International Airport that served as the headquarters of the United States Forces in Iraq until it was returned to Iraqi government authority in 2011. An "outlaw organisation" assaulted the site with three booby-trapped drones in June, according to the Iraqi prime minister's office, with one of the drones being shot down. Rusty missiles hit Camp Victory in May. To date, no one has been killed or injured in any of the attacks. 

The Iraqi government and the US inked an agreement this summer requiring Washington to withdraw all combat personnel from Iraq by the end of 2021, according to Sputnik. Some Baghdad-aligned Shia militias have expressed displeasure with the pact, which allows a small force of US troops to remain and have demanded that all US personnel, including trainers, intelligence officers and Air Force personnel, depart immediately. Militias have targeted US forces, installations, and logistics convoys with artillery, drone and roadside bomb attacks.

Biden administration dismissed any suggestion of a complete withdrawal

The Trump administration reduced the US military presence in Iraq from 5,300 to 2,500 troops between March 2020 and January 2021, signalling a willingness to negotiate a possible complete exit from the nation. After taking office, the Biden administration dismissed any suggestion of a complete withdrawal, citing the threat presented by ISIS. The United States had soldiers in Iraq for fifteen of the last eighteen years, having invaded the nation in 2003, occupied it until 2011 and then returned in 2014.

Video by Tehran Times Twitter / @TehranTimes79

Image: AP/ Unsplash