Four rockets hit military base housing US forces near Baghdad airport, 6 injured

Four Katyusha rockets struck an Iraqi military base, which hosts US forces, near Baghdad International Airport injuring six Iraqi fighters, said the military in a statement. According to media reports, those wounded in the attack belong to Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service and two of them are critically injured.

US blames Iran-backed factions

A larger attack was reportedly planned as the forces found several launchers with rockets that were not fired properly. US officials have blamed Iran-backed factions for the attack but no one has claimed responsibility yet for the attack. The incident occurred just a few days after a US military base in the Anbar province of Iraq was hit by multiple rockets fired from an unknown location. No casualties or damages were reported following the incident in which at least five rockets hit the Ain al-Assad military base.

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Al-Assad had served as one of the largest US military bases in Iraq before the American soldiers withdrew from the country in 2011. Following the rise of the Islamic State in the region, the United States decided to deploy its troops in Iraq. The United State is reportedly considering to deploy 5,000 to 7,000 additional troops in the region.

Recently, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper had said that the US troops leaving Syria will be deployed in Iraq. He said that the troops will continue operations against Islamic State, without denying the possibility of counter-terrorism missions into Syria from Iraq. “One is to help defend Iraq and two is to perform a counter-ISIS mission as we sort through the next steps,” said Esper. “Things could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal, but that’s the game plan right now,” he added.

Read: US Military Base In Iraq Hit By Five Rockets, No Casualties Reported

Iraq has been facing massive anti-government protests for several weeks over unemployment, poverty, and economic inequality. Protesters have been demanding an end to the widespread corruption with a change in regime. But the protests have continued in the embattled region even after the resignation of Adel Abdel Mahdi as the Prime Minister of Iraq.

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(With inputs from Agencies)