US troops in Western Iraq faces second attack since February 4
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A US defense official confirmed on Tuesday that American forces at a base in western Iraq were targeted in an attack.
This incident marks the second assault on US troops in the country following a more than two-month hiatus.
Over the weekend, rockets were launched from northern Iraq towards a base in Syria, which houses coalition forces led by the US against the Islamic State jihadist group. This previous attack is separate from the recent one on the western Iraq base.
The Middle East has witnessed numerous attacks on US troops since mid-October. However, this pattern of rocket and drone assaults, as well as occasional retaliatory strikes, paused after intense American air raids on Iran-affiliated targets in early February.
Speaking on the recent attack, the defense official stated, "Yesterday there was an attack against Al-Asad Air Base" that resulted in no injuries or damage. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details about the nature of this attack. They added, "This was the second attack against US forces since February 4," reported AFP.
Beginning in October, a series of over 165 attacks targeted US troops in both Iraq and Syria. These attacks commenced shortly after renewed conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group. While these assaults resulted in injuries, there were no fatalities among US forces.
However, a significant incident in late January saw a drone attack in Jordan leading to the deaths of three US soldiers. Following this, the US conducted airstrikes on numerous Iran-affiliated sites in Iraq and Syria. This series of airstrikes temporarily halted the attacks until late this month.
The majority of these attacks have been attributed to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed groups opposed to US support for Israel. Notably, there have been no claims of responsibility for the attacks that occurred this month.
