National Security

Officials say Iraq pullout hurt US spying

By Ken Dilanian

Published June 26, 2014 7:24am ET

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Officials say Iraq pullout hurt US spying — FILE - In this May 19, 2007, file photo, a portion of the new U.S. embassy under construction is seen from across the Tigris river in Baghdad. In 2014, by contrast, CIA officers have been largely hunkered down in their heavily fortified Baghdad compound since U.S. troops left the country in 2011, current and former officials say, allowing a once-rich network of intelligence sources to wither. (AP Photo) | Anonymous

WASHINGTON (AP) — Current and former officials say CIA officers in Iraq have been hunkered down in their heavily fortified Baghdad compound since U.S. troops left the country in 2011.

They say that’s a big reason the U.S. was caught flat-footed by the recent offensive by a Sunni-backed, al-Qaida-inspired group that has seized a large swath of Iraq.

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Iraq Nation Spying