US Troops Injured in Heavy Missile and Rocket Attack on US Base in Iraq

CENTCOM says a 'number' of US personnel are being examined for traumatic brain injuries, and one Iraqi soldier was wounded

US troops were injured in a heavy missile and rocket attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase on Saturday as US forces continue to come under attack due to President Biden’s support for Israel’s slaughter in Gaza.

According to US Central Command, “multiple ballistic missiles and rockets” were launched at the base, and most were intercepted while some impacted the base. CENTCOM said a “number” of US personnel were being examined for traumatic brain injuries, and one Iraqi soldier was wounded in the attack.

CENTCOM blamed the attack on “Iranian-backed militants,” referring to Iraq’s Shia militias. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Shia militias, took credit for the missile and rocket fire, according to Al Mayadeen.

According to the Pentagon, US bases in Iraq and Syria have come under attack 140 times since mid-October. The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in both countries in response, including a drone strike in Baghdad that killed a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iraqi militias that’s part of Iraq’s security forces.

The Iraqi government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has strongly condemned the US strikes as a violation of sovereignty and is calling for an end to the presence of the US-led international coalition in Iraq, known as Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR).

OIR is in Iraq in the name of fighting ISIS, although the US presence is more about pushing back against Iran’s influence. Al-Sudani has said Iraq’s security forces can handle the ISIS remnants that are left in the country.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.