The CIA is set to have a "large clandestine presence" in Iraq following the withdrawal of US troops in December last year, reports The Washington Post.
A similar set up is expected to take place in Afghanistan.

The move is part of a strategy by the Obama administration to "rely on a combination of spies and Special Operations forces to protect US interests in the two longtime war zones", said US officials.

The departure of US troops from Iraq has shifted the CIA's focus to "more traditional espionage", says the newspaper, adding that the intelligence agency will "monitor developments in the increasingly antagonistic government, seek to suppress al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the country and counter the influence of Iran".





(AKnews)