'Military Be Aware' warnings flood Craigslist

Anonymous posters have flooded the Craigslist Baghdad website with warnings, urging service members looking to hook up for a sexual encounter in the warzone not to get nabbed in a sting by a military investigative agency.

The warnings quickly began to appear after a story in the Aug. 5 issue of Air Force Times described service members’ use of the site for hookups and even prostitution.

The story was quickly picked up by other media outlets.

Anonymous service members and civilians are now going to the site to warn military participants about undercover operations.

“Military Be Aware Sting [Operation],” one anonymous user states in the headline of a post to inform service members they are being targeted. The listing advises them that the somewhat hidden use of the site has been compromised and not to use it.

But a 26-year-old man from Seattle — under the heading “Alert: How Not to be Entrapped” — advises military personnel that it’s OK to use the site, they just have to be more careful. “Start with a beer or gym workout to be safe,” he writes. “Let the other person do the initiating.”

A separate wave of posts from stateside users also have been springing up. They offer to hook up with service members when they return from their deployment in Afghanistan.

In one, a 30-year-old posted in hopes of finding a compatible service member to “fall in love with.” He is seeking a “career military man” and adds that he “always wanted to be a military ‘wife.’ ”

Some posters simply want to sympathize.

“Just read the article in The Daily Mail about ... Craigs List hook ups,” writes a man from California. “I hope it doesn’t ruin possible ‘relief” zones and methods for ya’ll to get a little R&R in the private way. Proud of you boys.”