Fighters in Iraq's Anbar wary of US-Iran conflict as Denmark pulls forces
Due to rising US-Iran tension in Iraq, Denmark has said it will pull most of its elite military trainers out of the country.
QAIM, Iraq — Danish forces played an essential role in training Iraqis from western Anbar in the run-up to liberating their land from the Islamic State. They then advised local fighters and commanders that have been key to intelligence gathering and combat.
Denmark also knew that the Iranian Jan. 8 attack on the Iraqi Ain al-Assad airbase would happen six full hours before it occurred, the national media reported.
Iran fired some 22 missiles at Ain al-Assad in western Anbar and a base near Erbil where US troops are also stationed, triumphantly claiming to have killed dozens. Although the western Anbar base incurred considerable damage, there were no casualties.
The United States was also notified that the attack was imminent. Its soldiers at the same base took shelter two and a half hours prior to the attack but were uncertain exactly where it would happen.
