Rockets hit Iraq air base that houses US troops: officer

At least 10 rockets struck a military base in western Iraq that houses US-led coalition troops today, the coalition and the Iraqi military said. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties.

The rockets hit the Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province at 7:20 am local time, spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto said.

Later, the Iraqi army issued a statement saying that the attack did not cause significant losses and that security forces had found the launch pad used for the missiles. An Iraqi military official said they had been found in the Anbar al-Baghdadi area, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to report to the media.

It was the first strike since the United States struck the targets of Iran-aligned militias along the Iraq-Syria border last week, stoking fears of a possible repeat of a series of tit-for-tat attacks that escalated the last year, culminating in the US-led attack. attack that killed Iranian general Qassim Soleimani in front of Baghdad airport.

The attack targeted the same base where Iran struck with a barrage of missiles in January last year in retaliation for Soleimani’s assassination. Dozens of US servicemen were injured and suffered concussions in that attack.

Today’s attack comes two days before Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Iraq on a highly anticipated trip that will include Baghdad, southern Iraq and the northern city of Irbil.

The US attack along the border had been in response to a series of rocket attacks targeting the US presence, including one that killed a Philippine coalition contractor outside Irbil airport.

After that attack, the Pentagon said the attack was a “proportionate military response” taken after consulting with coalition partners.

Marotto said Iraqi security forces were leading an investigation into the attack on Ain al-Asad.

US troops in Iraq significantly decreased their presence in the country last year under the Trump administration. The forces withdrew from various Iraqis based across the country to consolidate mainly in Ain al-Asad and Baghad.

Frequent rocket attacks on the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy, ​​during President Donald Trump’s tenure frustrated the administration, prompting threats to close the embassy and intensified strikes.