BAGHDAD (AP) – At least ten rockets targeted a military base in western Iraq on Wednesday, which houses US-led coalition troops, the coalition and the Iraqi army said. It was not immediately known if there were any victims.
Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto said the rockets hit the Ab al-Asad air base in Anbar province at 07:20.
Later, the Iraqi army issued a statement saying that the attack did not cause significant losses and that security forces had found the starting point for the missiles. An Iraqi military official said they were found in the Al-Baghdadi area of Anbar, on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to inform the media.
It was the first attack since the U.S. hit military targets along the Iraq-Syria border last week, killing one militiaman. It feared a possible recurrence of a series of attacks that escalated last year, culminating in the US-targeted drone attack that killed Iranian General Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad airport.
Wednesday’s attack was directed at the same base where Iran struck missiles with barrage in January last year in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani. Dozens of American servicemen were injured and suffered concussions during this strike.
Denmark, which also has troops at the base, condemned the attack, saying that coalition forces at Ain al-Asad were there at the invitation of the Iraqi government, which was 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 in the camp at the time of the attack, were unharmed.
Wednesday’s attack comes two days before Pope Francis will visit Iraq in a much-anticipated trip that will include Baghdad, southern Iraq and the northern city of Irbil.
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 “proportional military response” taken after consulting coalition partners.
Marotto said Iraqi security forces were investigating the attack on Ain al-Asad.
U.S. troops in Iraq significantly reduced their presence in the country last year under the Trump administration. The forces withdrew from several Iraqis across the country to consolidate mainly in Ain al-Asad and Baghad.
Frequent rocket attacks on the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy, during President Donald Trump’s tenure frustrated the government, leading to threats of the closure of the embassy and the actions of the escalator.
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Associated Press author Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.