Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

U.S. and Iranian forces share base in Iraq: Hey, can Friday night still be Salsa Night?

Imagine if you’d predicted this in 2004.

A picture of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) adorns a military vehicle as Iraqi security forces and paramilitaries deploy, on May 26, 2015, in al-Nibaie area, north-west of Baghdad, during an operation aimed at cutting off Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Anbar province before a major offensive to retake the city of Ramadi. Iraqi forces closed in on Ramadi and launched the operation dubbed Labaik ya Hussein", which roughly translates as "We are at your service, Hussein" and refers to one of the most revered imams in Shiite Islam. It will see a mix of security forces and paramilitaries move south towards the city from Salaheddin province, said Hashed al-Shaabi ("popular mobilisation" in Arabic) spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE        (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) adorns a military vehicle as Iraqi security forces and paramilitaries deploy, on May 26, 2015, in al-Nibaie area, north-west of Baghdad, during an operation aimed at cutting off Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Anbar province before a major offensive to retake the city of Ramadi. Iraqi forces closed in on Ramadi and launched the operation dubbed Labaik ya Hussein", which roughly translates as "We are at your service, Hussein" and refers to one of the most revered imams in Shiite Islam. It will see a mix of security forces and paramilitaries move south towards the city from Salaheddin province, said Hashed al-Shaabi ("popular mobilisation" in Arabic) spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) adorns a military vehicle as Iraqi security forces and paramilitaries deploy, on May 26, 2015, in al-Nibaie area, north-west of Baghdad, during an operation aimed at cutting off Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Anbar province before a major offensive to retake the city of Ramadi. Iraqi forces closed in on Ramadi and launched the operation dubbed Labaik ya Hussein", which roughly translates as "We are at your service, Hussein" and refers to one of the most revered imams in Shiite Islam. It will see a mix of security forces and paramilitaries move south towards the city from Salaheddin province, said Hashed al-Shaabi ("popular mobilisation" in Arabic) spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Imagine if you’d predicted this in 2004. Stunning.

Like I said once before, can Pres. Bush Jr. get a Nobel Prize for ending the enmity between Iraq and Iran?

U.S. Department of Defense

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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