BAGHDAD (AP) – At least 10 missiles hit a base on Wednesday that housed US and other coalition forces in western Iraq, military officials said. It was not known whether there were any casualties, but the Iraqi army said there were no significant losses.
It was the first such attack since the US struck Iran-linked militias along the Iraq-Syria border last week, killing a militiamen and fueling fears of a new cycle of tit-for-tat attacks, like last week. years happened. Those attacks culminated in the US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassim Soleimani in Baghdad.
No one has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, which is scheduled to visit the country two days before Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the country, amid concerns about security and the coronavirus pandemic.The highly anticipated journey includes stops in Baghdad, southern Iraq and the northern city of Irbil.
The missiles hit Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province early in the morning, US-led coalition spokesman Colonel Wayne Marotto said. In addition to American troops, there are also Danish and British troops stationed at the base. It is the same base that hit Iran with a missile barrage last year in retaliation for Soleimani’s murder. Dozens of American soldiers suffered concussions during that attack.
The Iraqi military released a statement saying Wednesday’s attack did not cause significant losses and that security forces had found the launch pad used for the missiles – a truck. Video from the site shows a burning truck in a desert area.
The British Ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hickey, condemned the attack, saying it undermined the ongoing struggle against the Islamic State group. “Coalition forces are in Iraq to fight Daesh at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” he tweeted, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “These terrorist attacks are undermining the fight against Daesh and destabilizing Iraq.”
Denmark said coalition forces on the base helped bring stability and security to the country.
“Despicable attacks on Ain al-Asad base in # Iraq are completely unacceptable,” tweeted Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. Danish forces said two Danes who were on the base at the time of the attack were unharmed.
Last week’s US attack along the border was in response to a wave of missile strikes targeting the US presence, including one that killed a Philippines coalition contractor outside Irbil airport.
After that attack, the Pentagon said the attack was a “proportional military response.”
Marotto, the coalition’s spokesman, said Iraqi security forces were conducting an investigation into the attack.
Frequent rocket attacks targeting the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, during Donald Trump’s presidency frustrated the administration, leading to threats of embassy closure and escalating attacks. Those attacks have increased again in recent weeks since President Joe Biden took office, after a pause during the transition period.
US forces in Iraq significantly reduced their presence in the country last year and withdrew from several Iraqi bases to consolidate mainly in Ain al-Asad, Baghdad and Irbil.
Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report.