Rockets hit Iraqi base housing US forces, wounding three

07 July 2021 - 14:39 By Reuters
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Iraqi security forces are seen at Ain al-Asad airbase near a military helicopter in Anbar province.
Iraqi security forces are seen at Ain al-Asad airbase near a military helicopter in Anbar province.
Image: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani / File photo

At least 14 rockets hit western Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase, host to US and other international forces, on Wednesday, slightly wounding three people, a coalition spokesperson said.

US Army Colonel Wayne Marotto, spokesperson for the US-led international military coalition, tweeted that the rockets landed on the base and its perimeter.

The US accuses Iranian-backed militia groups of launching regular rocket attacks against its troops in Iraq. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack.

It came after at least three rockets landed on Ain al-Asad on Monday without causing casualties.

Iraqi army officials said the pace of recent attacks against US bases with rockets and explosive-laden drones is unprecedented.

Iraqi military sources 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. 


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