Iraq: US personnel wounded by rockets fired at military base
Following the United States pushing for increased military presence in the Middle East, fearing escalation in the region between Iran and its allies against Israel, Reuters reports of at least 5 U.S. personnel wounded in an attack against a military base in Iraq on August 5th.
U.S. officials announced that two Katyusha rockets were fired at al Asad airbase in western Iraq, with an Iraqi security source stating that the missiles fell inside the base.
The U.S. officials told Reuters under anonymity that one of the American soldiers was seriously injured, adding that the casualty count that was based on initial reports could still change.
An official stated that “Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment,”
The perpetrators of the attack are unknown; thus, U.S. authorities were unable to confirm if the strike was linked to threats made by Iran, who vowed to retaliate over the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
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Tehran called out the U.S., who they believe bears responsibility for the assassination due to its unflinching support for Israel.
In a call on August 5th, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant agreed that the attack was a “dangerous escalation”, according to a Pentagon readout.
U.S. military was previously carrying out strikes in Iraq against individuals designated as militant by the American government. The targets were supposedly preparing to launch drones and posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces in the region.
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Iraq is situated in a rare geopolitical situation in that it is both an ally to the U.S. and Iran. The country hosts 2,500 U.S. troops whilst having Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces, the latter of which Baghdad has struggled to reign in. Iraq has faced escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the inception of the Israel-Hamas war erupting in October.
The Iraqi government wants troops of the U.S.-led military coalition to begin withdrawing forces in September with a formal end to all operations by September 2025, according to Iraqi sources. However, some U.S. forces are expected to remain in a newly negotiated advisory capacity.
Reuters and agencies
