Rocket attack on Baghdad International Airport


Three rockets hit Baghdad airport on Thursday night, where US troops are stationed. in another episode of tensions between Iran and the US on Iraqi territory, which remains in the grip of its two allies.

The rockets hit part of the air base occupied by Iraqi troops – they share the area with the military that Washington has developed as part of the anti-jihadist coalition -, an Iraqi security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

An Iraqi soldier was wounded, he added.

According to Iraqi security forces, more rockets were found and defused that had not been fired on the roof of an empty house used to launch the attack.

It was the second rocket attack on Americans in less than a week.: On Sunday, five rockets were fired at Balad, another air base north of Baghdad, injuring three Iraqi soldiers and two foreign contractors.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Washington has blamed militant groups close to Iran for targeting US troops and diplomats in Iraq.

About twenty bombings or rocket attacks have been reported so far against US military bases and against US diplomatic missions since Joe Biden took office on January 20. Dozens more had already been made since the fall of 2019, during the days of Donald Trump at the White House.

In mid-April, an attack with more advanced means was recorded: for the first time, pro-Iranian paramilitaries used UAVs trapped with explosives against the US headquarters at Arbil Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan (north).

The attack came amid difficult negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.

Two foreign contractors, an Iraqi contractor and eight Iraqi civilians have been killed in attacks on US troops and diplomats over the past year.