Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has been bracing for Al Qaida’s seizure of leading military bases in Iraq.

Officials said Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and Levant were surrounding at least two major military bases in northern Iraq.

The officials said the biggest threat by ISIL was to the Iraq Air Force base at Balad, which contains the largest airfield in the country and slated to house Baghdad’s new fleet of F-16 fighter-jets.

“We assess the group continues to threaten the air base and Iraqi security force control of the air base as it moves south towards Baghdad,” a senior intelligence official said.

In a briefing on June 24, the official said ISIL’s capture of Balad would result in a significant victory for the movement. The official acknowledged that Balad had been designated as a launching pad for air
strikes on ISIL positions throughout northern Iraq.

[On June 26, the Iraqi military sent three helicopters filled with
commandos for an attack on Tikrit, which contains a major base. At least one
of the helicopters was shot down and heavy fighting was reported around the
city’s university.]

Congress has also been warned of the imminent fall of Balad. Senior
officials of the administration of President Barack Obama, however, did not
outline a U.S. plan to save Balad or other military bases.

“This is an urgent counterterrorism situation that our country faces,”
Sen. Marco Rubio said after the administration briefing. “It grows more dire
by the moment.”

Balad was said to contain a huge amount of U.S.- and Russian-origin
equipment. They were said to include Mi-17 utility helicopters, Cessna light
reconnaissance aircraft and combat ground vehicles.

The U.S. military had been planning a major upgrade of Balad and poured
hundreds of millions of dollars to prepare for the arrival of the F-16s in
late 2014. Officials said all U.S. military personnel and contractors were
flown out of the facility on June 13 as ISIL forces approached.

“Their [ISIL] military capabilities have dramatically improved,” the
senior official said.

  Balad air base, ISIL surrounds air base scheduled to house Iraq’s F-16 fleet, Sen. Marco Rubio, Tikrit