Thread by @ClimateAudit

does anyone know if K1 base near Kirkuk was even a US military base as of Dec 2019?

In a quick look, it appears to have been Iraqi military base up to Aug 2014, when it was captured by ISIL, who held it for short time, before it was taken by Kurdish Peshmerga.

2/ it was attacked from time to time by ISIS. After Kurdish referendum in Sep 2017, K1 base was taken by force from Peshmerga by Iraqi special forces and PMF (the Shia militias who US just bombed) in Oct 2017.

3/ for much of the period since Oct 2017, PMF (Kataib Hezbollah) appears to have had personnel stationed at K1 base.

4/ the presence of PMF and national government militias at a military base near Kirkuk has been controversial among local Kurds, who, in turn, have bitterly opposing factions, one of which is PUK, classed as terrorist group by US and especially Turkey

5/ for reference, here's a link to article mentioning taking of Kirkuk by PMF and Iraqi forces in Oct 2017
bbc.com/news/world-mid…

6/ in Jan 2019, there are a couple of articles about US troops, who had withdrawn from Syria, arriving at K1 base near Kirkuk and demanding that Iraqi troops be removed to make way for their them

7/ in summer 2019, there are local stories of ISIS resurgence in Kirkuk area e.g.
rudaw.net/english/kurdis…

8/ in Aug 2019, VOA voanews.com/extremism-watc… reported that ISIS had killed four security officials near Kirkuk

9/ in Jul 2019,
iraqinews.com/iraq-war/pmf-a… the PMF (Kata'ib Hizbollah) arrested two ISIS leaders near Kirkuk

10/ I haven't seen any information explicitly saying that K1 base is a US military base, as opposed to an Iraqi base at which some US soldiers are staying. It seems possible that it also holds Iraqi soldiers. PMF soldiers had been located there up to Jan 2019 at least.

11/ the politics in Kirkuk area seem complicated even by Middle Eastern intrigue standards. There is considerable prior evidence of ISIS attacks in Kirkuk area. No prior evidence of PMF attacks. I wonder how Pompeo attributed attack.