U.S. Builds Air Base in Iraq for Permanent Occupation

The U.S. military base in Balad, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, is rapidly becoming one of the largest American military installations on foreign soil.

About 30,000 troops are stationed there, along with thousands of other contractors and Defense Department civilian employees.

The base is one giant construction project, with new roads, sidewalks, and structures going up across this 16-square-mile fortress in the center of Iraq, all with an eye toward the next few decades.

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