At least 10 rockets fell at dawn Wednesday on a base housing US soldiers in western Iraq. Iraqi and Western security sources said two days before the historic visit of Pope Francis to the country.
“Iraqi security forces are conducting an investigation”Colonel Wayne Maruto, the US spokesperson for the Global Coalition against Jihadists, said on Twitter. Washington regularly cites pro-Iranian armed factions as responsible for such attacks, which have increased in recent weeks.
Basis Ain al-Assad It includes Iraqi forces, as well as forces from the US-led coalition that is helping Iraq fight ISIS remnants.
Coalition Spokesman Colonel Wayne Maruto confirmed that 10 missiles had struck the base at 7:20 am (0420 GMT), but did not provide details of the casualties.
For its part, the Iraqi security forces said that Ten “Grad” missiles arrived at the sprawling base Ain al-Assad Wednesday morning, but they said so There were no notable victims. “
Western security sources said France Press agency What or what The missiles were Iranian-made Throne models. These are 122 mm artillery rockets and are heavier than those seen in other attacks on Western targets in Iraq.
Dozens of roadside missile and bomb attacks targeted Western military, diplomatic and security sites in Iraq in 2020, and Iraqi and Western military sources blamed the militant factions loyal to Iran.
They almost completely stopped in October after a truce with the hard line, but have restarted at a rapid pace over the past three weeks.
In mid-February, missiles fell on the US-led coalition forces in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, a US military contracting company operating north of the capital and the US embassy in Baghdad.
On Thursday, the US Air Force attacked facilities in northeastern Syria used by militias supported by the Iranian regime, killing at least 22 people.In response to the recent missile attacks on US forces’ positions in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Under the leadership of President (Joe) Biden, the US military launched airstrikes earlier tonight on the infrastructure used by Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria.Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
“This attack was approved in response to recent attacks on US and coalition personnel in Iraq.And the constant threats to which these employees are exposed. “
It comes to b First military action ordered by President Joe Biden, Who took office on January 20 to replace Donald Trump. Biden had stated his intentions to place the focus of US foreign policy on China, even though this first action took place in the Middle East.
(With information from Agence France-Presse)
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