JOINT SECURITY STATION WAHAB,
has no running water and sporadic mail service, and it’s so easily
overlooked that the military accidentally canceled its contract for
portable toilets last month, forcing the 60 soldiers who live here to
resort to disposable waste bags for a while.
Yet Joint Security Station Wahab, which service members recently voted “the most austere base” in southern
is expected to remain after most of the American super bases in the
country close. That’s because the soldiers here are on the front line
of the U.S. military’s efforts to track and counter Iranian influence,
a mission that’s going to get harder as the area’s al-Sheeb border
station opens to thousands of Iranian tourists in the next few months.
As the U.S. military dismantles much larger bases
elsewhere, the ones with fast food outlets, beauty salons and Eastern
European masseuses, commanders plan to keep the small border contingent
in place as long as possible. Its job: to train Iraqi forces to protect
al-Sheeb and its environs, a 25-mile land mine-dotted stretch with
deserts to the north and marshes to the south.
Where Iraqi officials envision a bustling tourist
hub that will bring jobs and investment, U.S. officials see another
potential foothold for
which already provides electricity and water to the Iraqi border
station. Once the last mines are cleared, a tedious and dangerous
undertaking, al-Sheeb crossing will open for tourists. The Americans
aren’t sure that the Iraqi infrastructure or border force is ready for
such a massive influx and the accompanying security concerns.
“Really, the U.S. can counterbalance Iranian influence, whether soft or malign, only up to a certain point,” said Army Maj.
a fluent Arabic speaker who heads the U.S. transition team that advises
Iraqi border forces at JSS Wahab. “But I don’t see how we can
counterbalance people coming through. We can’t make more Iraqis.”
The American soldiers at JSS Wahab are attached to the
They don’t have to deal with the rocket fire and roadside bombs that
target other outposts. Instead, they’re locked in what one soldier
described as a “spy vs. spy” scenario with
“While they’re very close, it’s a Checkpoint Charlie situation,” Capt.
said of the Iranian forces. “I stand there with my binoculars looking
at the Iranians, and they look back with the thousand-yard stare.”
For now, the crossing is open only to Iraqi-driven cargo trucks, which can enter
passing through a series of inspections and X-ray machines. The
Americans get suspicious when a truck returns empty; they wonder what
the driver was up to on the other side of the border. The soldiers said
that both sides used the Iraqi truck drivers as informants.
In January, Dorado said, U.S. troops noticed a
surveillance drone hovering above their camp in broad daylight. The
Americans checked with their command and were told that no U.S. drones
were in the area. They realized it was an Iranian aircraft spying on
their post, a rare provocation. The drone stayed overhead for a few
minutes and then left.
“Of course we waved,” Dorado said with a grin. “We gave them the one-finger salute.”
The Americans’ security concerns aren’t unfounded.
Until 2007, the crossing at al-Sheeb was wide open, with Iranian-backed
Iraqi Shiite militias in control of traffic, U.S. and Iraqi officers
said. Smugglers carried on a bustling cross-border trade in everything
from racing camels to explosives, and their bribes for safe passage
went straight into militia coffers.
“The governor sent us here in 2006 to see the
situation, and it wasn’t good. The militias controlled everything,”
said Staff Brig. Gen.
Interviewed in his office in the half-finished
official crossing of al-Sheeb, al-Qaisi credits his U.S. advisers with
being instrumental in helping the Iraqis regain control of the area
after Prime Minister
Although he still has doubts about whether
al-Qaisi said security seemed stable enough to shift focus to tourism
possibilities at al-Sheeb. Every week, cargo imports alone bring
a year. The money generated from the crossing will increase
exponentially when the border opens to busloads of Iranian religious
tourists headed for
“This place is like an oil well that’s just not open yet,” al-Qaisi said.
Also not open yet: restaurants, hotels, public
bathrooms and other basic services that will be needed to support so
many travelers. On the security side, the Iraqis are still waiting for
baggage scanners and other equipment to prevent weapons or drugs from
being smuggled in.
Every time progress stalls at al-Sheeb,
steps in to help, to the Americans’ consternation. They’re sure that
the assistance will be repaid with lucrative contracts for Iranian
investors and tourism companies, including a bus service that’s
operated by
“There’s a lot of soft Iranian influence here
through utilities. Now we have water and electricity that’s Iranian, so
you have another country providing utilities. What does that say about
sovereignty?” Dorado said. “Yes, there will be economic benefit in the
future, but at what expense?”
———
(c) 2010, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Visit the
