US forces 'working remotely' as Iran turns Gulf bases to rubble: Report
US soldiers are being relocated to civilian hotels and office spaces, prompting Iran to accuse Washington of using 'human shields’
US forces across the region have been “working remotely” due to the amount of damage their military bases have suffered from Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile strikes, the New York Times (NYT) cited sources as saying on 26 March.
“Iran has bombed U.S. bases across the Middle East in retaliation for the US-Israeli war, forcing many American troops to relocate to hotels and office spaces throughout the region,” anonymous US officials and military personnel told NYT.
“So now much of the land-based military is, in essence, fighting the war while working remotely, with the exception of fighter pilots and crews operating and maintaining warplanes and conducting strikes,” they added.
The report says that Iran’s retaliatory attacks have “severely damaged” US military bases in the region.
“Many of the 13 military bases in the region used by American troops are all but uninhabitable, with the ones in Kuwait, which is next door to Iran, suffering perhaps the most damage,” NYT went on to say.
Six US soldiers were killed in an Iranian strike on the Port Shuaiba Base in Kuwait, destroying an army tactical operations center. Iranian drones and missiles also targeted Ali Al-Salem Air Base, damaging aircraft structures and causing injuries. At Camp Buehring, maintenance and fuel facilities were damaged.
A radar system in Qatar’s Al-Udeid US military base was damaged. Communication equipment at Bahrain’s Fifth Fleet Base, which has been repeatedly battered, was also struck. Additionally, equipment and refueling tankers were damaged in Saudi Arabia at the Prince Sultan Air Base.
Bases in Iraq have also been showered by drone and missile attacks, as well as the US Embassy compound.
NYT confirms that US troops are being forced to relocate to hotels due to the destructive strikes on their bases. This has prompted Tehran to accuse Washington of using human shields and to target troops believed to be staying in hotels.
“During the war in Iraq in particular, the US built up its bases there and in Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Now, the war in Iran has made all of those bases vulnerable – to the point where service members can’t really live or work there for extended periods. The lack of better planning also reflects a miscalculation on the part of the administration about how Iran would respond,” US military officials told the outlet.
“The Trump administration did not reduce staffing at US embassies and other facilities in the region before the war started, or order departures for nonessential government employees and family members. Nor did the State Department warn Americans to steer clear of the region until after the war began,” they said.
Officials briefed on the matter told NYT that “There were no reinforced roofs on command centers at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.” One soldier was killed, and others were wounded in an Iranian strike on that site.
Since the US-Israeli war started, Tehran has escalated its massive and unprecedented campaign of retaliatory strikes on Israel and the US military assets across the Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz has been closed to Washington and its allies, and a US plan to form an international coalition aimed at reopening the strait has so far failed.
Tehran has refused ceasefire talks. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Washington is looking for a way out of the war it started.
According to a new CNN report citing officials, US President Donald Trump’s government is working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan to discuss an “off-ramp” from the war.