HARIR, Kurdistan Region - The small and sleepy town of Harir, nestled among the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, is hoping it will soon play host again to an influx of Americans at a new US air base in the valley below.
The Americans used the air strip to reinforce the Kurdish northern front against Saddam Hussein in 2003. There are reportedly negotiations between the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and Washington to use it to mount air strikes on Islamic State.
“Most people really want the Americans to come to fight Daesh,” said Jegir Swara Ismail, referring to the Islamic militants by their Arabic acronym. “There are a few young people who aren’t happy because they used to go and hang out at the strip.”
He said some workers who until recently had been housed near the runway had been told to move on by local officials. A Turkish company was also seen doing some desultory clean-up work there.
But the air strip remained covered in litter and broken glass when Rudaw visited on Tuesday. The only signs of life were a father teaching his nervous-looking daughter to drive down the runway and a farmer ploughing the nearby fields.
A decision on Harir has not been confirmed by the Pentagon or local officials.
In comments to local media, politicians in Baghdad have been fulminating against the US air base, which is about 100 km from the Iranian border.
“US intentions to build a military base in the area of Harir are unacceptable,” said Majid al-Gharawi, a Baghdad lawmaker, told the Azzaman news service. “The purpose behind the move is to occupy Iraq once again and exert pressure on the central government for more concessions.”
Soon after the US-led invasion of 2003, the KRG is believed to have encouraged the US to take advantage of the stability in its region and offered air bases and facilities but it was turned down.
If the Harir air base ever comes to pass, it will provide entertainment for the locals, said Swara, who was 11-years-old in 2003 when he used to go with friends to watch the American soldiers.
“There was no internet or anything like that then so we used to go and see them. We saw them parachute in,” he said. “I really hope if the Americans come back, they will visit our town.”
The first American troops to land in Kurdistan in 2003 landed by parachute into the March mud of Harir wearing desert gear. Locals went to greet them but the Americans were apparently unsure they were landing in friendly territory.
One international news agency was similarly confused, famously reporting that the paratroopers, who landed overnight, had “met no resistance.”
The town of Harir is the hub for dozens of agricultural villages in the surrounding area. Steep mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to an otherwise quiet town, which does not boast of a hotel or many other facilities.
Some Syrian refugees and Iraqis displaced by ISIS have made it to the town but they are mostly located in the Basirma camp a few miles away.
Akram Mahmoud, owner of the local Krystal coffee shop, hoped the arrival of some Americans would help to boost the local economy.
“It would be great if they came to the cafe. Business is OK but it could be better,” he said. “It would also show that Harir is doing its bit in the fight against Daesh.”
The Americans used the air strip to reinforce the Kurdish northern front against Saddam Hussein in 2003. There are reportedly negotiations between the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and Washington to use it to mount air strikes on Islamic State.
“Most people really want the Americans to come to fight Daesh,” said Jegir Swara Ismail, referring to the Islamic militants by their Arabic acronym. “There are a few young people who aren’t happy because they used to go and hang out at the strip.”
He said some workers who until recently had been housed near the runway had been told to move on by local officials. A Turkish company was also seen doing some desultory clean-up work there.
But the air strip remained covered in litter and broken glass when Rudaw visited on Tuesday. The only signs of life were a father teaching his nervous-looking daughter to drive down the runway and a farmer ploughing the nearby fields.
A decision on Harir has not been confirmed by the Pentagon or local officials.
In comments to local media, politicians in Baghdad have been fulminating against the US air base, which is about 100 km from the Iranian border.
“US intentions to build a military base in the area of Harir are unacceptable,” said Majid al-Gharawi, a Baghdad lawmaker, told the Azzaman news service. “The purpose behind the move is to occupy Iraq once again and exert pressure on the central government for more concessions.”
Soon after the US-led invasion of 2003, the KRG is believed to have encouraged the US to take advantage of the stability in its region and offered air bases and facilities but it was turned down.
If the Harir air base ever comes to pass, it will provide entertainment for the locals, said Swara, who was 11-years-old in 2003 when he used to go with friends to watch the American soldiers.
“There was no internet or anything like that then so we used to go and see them. We saw them parachute in,” he said. “I really hope if the Americans come back, they will visit our town.”
The first American troops to land in Kurdistan in 2003 landed by parachute into the March mud of Harir wearing desert gear. Locals went to greet them but the Americans were apparently unsure they were landing in friendly territory.
One international news agency was similarly confused, famously reporting that the paratroopers, who landed overnight, had “met no resistance.”
The town of Harir is the hub for dozens of agricultural villages in the surrounding area. Steep mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to an otherwise quiet town, which does not boast of a hotel or many other facilities.
Some Syrian refugees and Iraqis displaced by ISIS have made it to the town but they are mostly located in the Basirma camp a few miles away.
Akram Mahmoud, owner of the local Krystal coffee shop, hoped the arrival of some Americans would help to boost the local economy.
“It would be great if they came to the cafe. Business is OK but it could be better,” he said. “It would also show that Harir is doing its bit in the fight against Daesh.”
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