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

"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."

"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."

"One of the biggest challenges of the Iraqi state is there has been an increase in these groups gaining senior and significant positions in the security sector in the last few years, said Mansour. It's very much a hybrid model in which they have one foot in the state and one foot out of the state."

More than 200 American contractors supporting Iraq's F-16 fighter jet program are stationed at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base near Baghdad without an established evacuation plan. The base is considered a high-value target, and contractors report feeling exposed and vulnerable due to absent preventative measures. Iraqi workers have warned foreign colleagues that Islamic Resistance militants are planning attacks once Ramadan concludes. Some Iraqi military and contract employees with militant links allegedly pass information to these groups. Islamic Resistance comprises militias linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a Shiite militia network formally integrated into Iraq's security apparatus. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani lacks authority to control these groups' growing power within the security sector.

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