Rocket attack hits near US embassy in Iraq capital: US and Iraqi militaries

Published February 16, 2020
The United States embassy is located in the Green Zone, the Iraqi capital's high-security enclave. — AFP/File Photo
The United States embassy is located in the Green Zone, the Iraqi capital's high-security enclave. — AFP/File Photo

Multiple rockets hit an Iraqi base hosting American troops near the United States embassy early Sunday, the latest in a flurry of attacks against US assets in the country.

"The coalition confirms small rockets impacted the Iraqi base hosting (coalition) troops in the International Zone [...] no casualties," said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins.

The base, known as Union III, is the headquarters for the US-led coalition, deployed in Iraq since 2014 to help local troops fight the Islamic State group.

Iraq's military said three Katyusha rockets hit inside the Green Zone, the high-security enclave where the US mission and Union III are located, as well as Iraqi government buildings, United Nations offices and other embassies.

A fourth rocket hit a logistics base in a different neighbourhood operated by Hashed al-Shaabi, a military network officially incorporated into the Iraqi state, the Iraqi military said.

There was no immediate statement from the Hashed group.

Strikes on assets of both the US and Hashed at the same time are unusual, as Washington has blamed hardline elements within the military network for repeated rocket attacks on American installations across Iraq.

Sunday's attack was the 19th one since October to target either the embassy or the roughly 5,200 US troops stationed alongside local forces across Iraq.

No group has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.

In late December, a rocket attack on the northern Iraqi base of K1 left one US contractor dead and unleashed a dramatic series of events.

Washington responded with retaliatory strikes against Kataeb Hezbollah, a hardline Hashed faction in western Iraq.

Days later, an American drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and his right-hand man, Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Hashed factions have vowed revenge for the pair's death but said they would prioritise a political objective first: the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

But the network includes a broad range of groups and some have appeared more willing to harass US troops militarily.

Sunday's attack came just hours after one of Hashed's Iran-backed factions, Harakat al-Nujaba, announced a "countdown" to ousting American forces from the country.

A top leader within Nujaba, Nasr al-Shammary, tweeted a photograph of what he claimed was an American military vehicle, adding: "We are closer than you think."

Sunday's assault sent warning sirens blaring across the diplomatic compound, a US military source and a Western diplomat based nearby told AFP.

Opinion

Editorial

Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....
Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...