Iraq Militants Fire Rockets at Baghdad Airport

Ability to Hit Airport Raises Doubts About Security

There are plenty of security doubts across Iraq, but four rocket strikes that hit the Baghdad Airport today are really raising eyebrows about the risk to the nation’s most important air terminal.

The rockets didn’t hurt anybody, and airport officials say they didn’t effect any flights this time, but the uncertainty about whether or not flights are safe out of Baghdad.

Though Baghdad itself is a magnet for militant attacks, 14 separate checkpoints between the city and the airport terminal itself have long kept the airport safely out of range of such strikes.

The rockets were identified as Katyushas, popular with militants across the region, and two reportedly hit near the runway, with two others hitting the road near the airport itself. No group has claimed responsibility for the strikes.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.