BAGHDAD (AP) – At least ten rockets were fired Wednesday at a base housing U.S. and other coalition forces in western Iraq, according to military officials. It was not known if there were any casualties, but the Iraqi army said there were no significant losses.
It was the first such attack since the U.S. hit military targets along the Iraq-Syria border last week. One militant was killed and fears were expressed for another cycle of attacks like last year. These attacks culminated in the US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassim Soleimani in Baghdad.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, which will visit the country two days before Pope Francis, amid concerns over security and the coronavirus pandemic.. The long-awaited trip will include a stopover in Baghdad, southern Iraq and the northern city of Irbil.
The rockets hit the Ab al-Asad air base in Anbar province early in the morning, Col. Wayne Marotto, U.S. leader spokesman, said. In addition to American troops, Danish and British are among those stationed at the base. This is the same base that Iran struck with a barrage of missiles in January last year in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani. Dozens of U.S. servicemen suffered concussions during the strike.
The Iraqi army has issued a statement saying the attack on Wednesday did not result in significant casualties and that security forces have found the starting point for the rockets – a truck. The video from the website shows a 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 abbreviation for IS. “These terrorist attacks undermine the fight against Daesh and destabilize Iraq.”
Denmark said coalition forces on the base were helping to bring stability and security to the country.
“Contemptuous attacks on the Ain al-Asad base in #Iraq are completely unacceptable,” tweeted Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. The Danish army said two Danes who were at the base during the attack were unharmed.
Last week’s U.S. strike along the border was in response to a spate of rocket attacks targeting the U.S. presence, including one that killed a Philippine coalition contractor outside Irbil airport.
After the attack, the Pentagon said the strike was a “proportionate military response.”
Coalition spokesman Marotto said Iraqi security forces were investigating the attack.
Frequent rocket attacks on the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. embassy, during Donald Trump’s presidency frustrated the government, leading to threats of embassy closures and escalation actions. The attacks have intensified in recent weeks since President Joe Biden took office after a period of silence during the transition period.
U.S. troops in Iraq significantly reduced their presence in the country last year, withdrawing from several Iraqi bases to consolidate mainly in Ain al-Asad, Baghdad and Irbil.
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Associated Press author Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.