Washington.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured this Sunday that the Pentagon will “attack if necessary” to respond to this week’s attack on an Iraqi base where US troops are stationed, although it is not yet clear who is responsible for this. the attack. .
“We will attack, when we think it is necessary, at a time and place that we choose. We demand the right to protect our troops,” Austin said in an interview broadcast by ABC News.
Ten missiles hit Ain al Asad military base in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar (west), home to some 2,000 US servicemen on Wednesday, in an attack that left no casualties or injuries, although a US contractor suffered cardiac arrest in the bombing. and died shortly afterwards.
The White House later said it was still investigating who launched the attack, pledging to avoid “hasty or misinformed decisions that could escalate tensions in the region.”
In late February, Biden ordered a bombing of pro-Iranian militias in Syria, killing at least one and wounding two; It did this in retaliation for an attack on another base in Erbil, Northern Iraq, which killed a US contractor and wounded the US and Iraqi military several times.
While this week’s attack on this Iraqi second base resulted in no casualties, Austin stressed that the US government wants to ensure that those who attack them are “held accountable for their actions” and that “they will do whatever it takes to self-defend themselves. to defend.”
The Pentagon chief clarified that it is still unclear who carried out the attack and “encourages Iraqis to proceed as soon as possible” in his investigation.
However, many in Washington suspect a likely Iranian involvement, and Austin did not correct the journalist when asked about the effect that potential Pentagon retaliation may have on its relationship with Tehran.
“Iran is fully capable of evaluating what our bombing and activities mean, and they will come to their own conclusions. What they have to infer is that we are going to defend our forces,” Austin concluded.