The US-led coalition in Iraq says at least 10 rockets target a military base in western Iraq that hosts American troops
BAGHDAD – At least 10 rockets hit a military base in western Iraq that hosts US-led coalition troops on Wednesday, the coalition and the Iraqi military said. It was not immediately known if there were any victims.
The rockets hit Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar province at 7:20 am, said coalition spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto. No one took responsibility for the attack.
The Iraqi military issued a statement saying the attack did not cause significant losses and that security forces found the launch pad used for the rockets. He was found in the al-Baghdadi area of Anbar, an Iraqi military official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the attack with the media.
It was the first attack since the United States hit militia targets aligned with Iran along the Iraq-Syria border last week, killing a militiaman and fueling fears of a possible repeat of a series of eye-for-eye attacks that escalated last year. , culminating in the US drone attack that killed Iranian general Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad airport.
Wednesday’s attack targeted the same base where Iran attacked with a flurry of missiles in January last year in retaliation for Soleimani’s death. Dozens of US military personnel were injured, suffering concussions during the attack.
British ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hickey condemned the attack, saying it undermines the ongoing struggle against the Islamic State group. “Coalition forces are in Iraq to fight Daesh at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” he tweeted, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “These terrorist attacks undermine the fight against Daesh and destabilize Iraq.”
Denmark, which like the United States and Britain also has troops at the base, said coalition forces in Ain al-Asad are helping to bring stability and security to the country.
“Despicable attacks on Ain al-Asad’s base in #Iraq are completely unacceptable,” tweeted Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. The Danish armed forces said that two Danes, who were in the camp at the time of the attack, are unharmed.
Wednesday’s attack comes two days before Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq, on a long-awaited trip that will include Baghdad, southern Iraq and the northern city of Irbil.
The US attack last week along the border was in response to a wave of rocket attacks aimed at the American presence, including one that killed a Philippine coalition contractor outside Irbil airport.
After that attack, the Pentagon said the attack was a “proportional military response” taken after consulting coalition partners.
Marotto said Iraqi security forces are conducting an investigation into the attack on Ain al-Asad.
American troops in Iraq significantly decreased their presence in the country last year under the Trump administration. The forces withdrew from several Iraqis based across the country to consolidate themselves mainly in Ain al-Asad and Baghad.
The frequent rocket attacks aimed at the heavily fortified Green Zone, which is home to the U.S. Embassy, during President Donald Trump’s term, have frustrated the administration, leading to threats of embassy closure and staggered attacks.
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Associated Press editor Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report.