Barrage of rockets fired at airbase housing US troops in Iraq

At least 14 rockets have hit an airbase in western Iraq that is hosting US and other international forces, slightly wounding at least two people, according to the United States-led military coalition in the country.

US Army Colonel Wayne Marotto, spokesman for the international operation, said in a Twitter post on Wednesday the rockets had landed on Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province and its perimeter.

“Two personnel sustained minor injuries. Damage still be assessed,” he said in a later Twitter post, updating an initial statement of three minor injuries.

Update: 100 % accountability at Ain Al-Assad Air Base after rocket attack. Two personnel sustained minor injuries. Damage still be assessed. More details will be provided when become available.

— OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) July 7, 2021

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s attack.

The US accuses Iranian-backed militia groups of launching regular rocket attacks against its troops in Iraq.

Some 2,500 US soldiers are deployed in Iraq as part of an international coalition to fight the ISIL (ISIS) armed group. They have been targeted almost 50 times this year.

The latest incident came two days after at least three rockets landed on Ain al-Asad, without causing casualties.

Iraqi military sources quoted by Reuters news agency said a rocket launcher fixed on the back of a mini-truck was used in Wednesday’s attack and was found on nearby farmland.

On Tuesday, a drone attacked Erbil airport in northern Iraq, targeting a US base on the airport grounds, Kurdish security sources said.