Zürcher Nachrichten - Israeli troops in Iraq: what do we know?

Early in the war, which was ignited by joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, foreign troops were detected in the Najaf desert in the country's southwest.

Security officials and witnesses told AFP that a shepherd, who was the first to spot the troops, was killed when a helicopter struck his pickup.

Iraqi authorities have acknowledged that "unknown" troops were present for no more than 48 hours in the Najaf desert, but they have not publicly identified them.

- Who are these forces? -

Two Iraqi security sources told AFP that Israeli forces operated from the Najaf desert during the war.

One security official said: "Israeli forces established a base on an abandoned airstrip built by Saddam Hussein in the Najaf desert."

On May 9, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel set up a "clandestine military outpost" in the area, quoting anonymous sources, including US officials.

The report said the installation housed special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force "with the knowledge of the US".

Another security official told AFP that Iraqi authorities asked the United States if the troops were theirs, but "they told us it wasn't them."

The US, which has troops in Iraq's north as part of an anti-jihadist coalition, has to inform Baghdad of any military activity.

A third security source, however, downplayed the claim, saying the foreign troops may have been "US forces, accompanied by an Israeli technical team."

He also said that the foreign forces used an old airstrip built by Saddam and that CH-57 Chinook helicopters were seen at the site in Najaf.

- What happened in the desert? -

During the first week of the war, local media reports emerged of a shepherd who spotted military activity in the vast Najaf desert.

Security sources told AFP that the shepherd was killed when a helicopter fired on his pickup, which remains in the desert, according to an AFP correspondent.

The shepherd was travelling to sell sheep, buy some essentials and refuel when he reportedly was caught off guard by foreign forces, according to witnesses who knew him.

AFP's correspondent reported seeing a grave, just six meters from the pickup, inscribed with a name and a date of death: March 3, 2026.

The grave may be symbolic or contain remains of the body, which was later buried in the holy city of Karbala, the witnesses said.

It was not clear which forces struck the vehicle.

On March 5, Qais al-Mohamadawi, Iraq's deputy commander of joint operations, told state media that Iraq protested to the US-led anti-jihadist coalition stationed in the country about an air raid in Najaf.

He said that after receiving reports of "individuals or movement in the Najaf" desert, Iraq's military sent a force to investigate.

The troops came under heavy aerial fire, leaving one soldier dead and two others wounded.

He added that at the site in Najaf, "one force was providing support to another that was conducting reconnaissance or setting up equipment".

Reinforcements were later sent to search the area, but "did not find anything", Mohamadawi said.

How did Iraq react?

Despite the media reports, Iraqi authorities have still not identified the foreign troops.

One of the security officials said that "the government cannot openly say they were Israeli forces because our troops did not engage directly with them."

"There are things that we cannot talk about," he said.

On May 11, Iraq's military said its forces conducted sweeps in the deserts and border areas, insisting there are no "unauthorised bases or forces on Iraqi soil at the moment."

It warned against reports that "harm Iraq's reputation."

The Israeli military did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Nevertheless, the rumour mill has not stopped.

The security official said that reports has also emerged about a possible Israeli presence in Nineveh province in the country's north, and troops were sent there for inspections.

"We deal with this matter as a rumour."

O.Pereira--NZN