Rockets hit Iraq military base near Baghdad amid US-Iran tensions
At least four Iraqi soldiers were injured when, according to authorities, multiple rockets crashed into an Iraqi airbase north of Baghdad that has housed US troops.
In a statement by Iraq’s official news agency INA, eight Katyusha rockets hit the Iraqi military media center on Sunday, al-Balad airbase, located about 80 km from the capital.
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Some projectiles fell inside the airbase on a restaurant while others, according to Iraqi officials, hit the runway and the gate.
There has been no assertion of responsibility for the attack so far, which has caused zero injuries in the US.
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During the attack, the U.S-led coalition said there were no U.S. troops present at the base, which housed U.S. trainers, consultants, and a company providing F-16 aircraft maintenance services.
The incident comes in the midst of heightened tensions between the US and Iran following the assassination of a top Iranian officer in Baghdad by the US and the retaliatory missile strikes in Iraq by Iran against US targets.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo denounced Sunday’s attack.
“Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase,” he said in a Twitter post. “I pray for the speed recovery of the injured and call on the government of Iraq to hold those responsible for these attacks accountable.”
“These continued violations of Iraq’s sovereignty by groups not loyal to the Iraqi government must end,” he added.
