America bombed Iranian proxies to stop strikes on US troops. There was just another attack.
It’s still unclear who launched the rockets, but it strongly resembles past attacks by Iran-backed proxies.
A military base hosting US troops in Iraq was targeted by around 10 rockets on Wednesday morning.
Any illusions that a US military strike on Iran-backed militants in Syria would deter such actions.
Col. Wayne Marotto, the spokesperson for US-led anti-ISIS coalition forces, said Grad-style rockets struck al-Asad airbase in western Iraq around 7:20 am local time.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby added hours later that no US troops had sustained injuries in the strike but that one American civilian contractor had experienced a fatal “cardiac episode” while sheltering from rockets.
While no group has taken responsibility for the barrage, it bears a strong resemblance to the rocket attacks frequently launched by Iran-backed Shia militia groups at American and allied troops in Iraq.
Multiple outlets reported the launchpad was found outside the nearby city of al-Baghdadi in Anbar province, and CNN noted that a pro-militia group on Telegram published unconfirmed images of the weapon.
In January 2020, Iran targeted that same base in response to then-President Donald Trump’s assassination of top Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani, injuring dozens of US service members.
Wednesday’s attack comes six days.
After Biden authorized the US military to bomb nine facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Syria to smuggle weapons.
Biden’s team said it was in retaliation for weeks of rocket launches at coalition forces outside Erbil.
Iraq — which killed a Filipino contractor and injured US troops — and near the US Embassy in Baghdad.
