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WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday carried out an airstrike in Syria on facilities belonging to an Iranian-backed militia in response to rocket attacks on US targets in Iraq.
The bombing was Washington’s first retaliation for a Feb. 15 attack that killed a contract employee and injured five people, including a U.S. soldier, at a base used by the United States and its allies in Irbil, northern Iraq. . However, the bombardment appeared to have had a limited range, potentially reducing the risk of an escalation.
The decision to only hit targets in Syria and not Iraq gives the Iraqi government some breathing space, as it conducts its own investigation into the February 15 attack.
Authorities, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack was approved by President Joe Biden. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US retaliatory military strikes have occurred several times in recent years.
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The rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq were carried out as Washington and Tehran seek a way to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, unilaterally abandoned by former US President Donald Trump.
In the February 15 attack, rockets hit the US military base located at Irbil International Airport in the Kurdish-run region, killing one Filipino and wounding several US service providers and a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. U.S. A few days later, another blast struck a base housing US forces in northern Baghdad, wounding at least one service provider.
