BAGHDAD (AP) — At least one Katyusha rocket fell close to the perimeter of a military base that hosts U.S. troops in northern Iraq on Sunday, Iraq’s military said.
The rocket fell near the sprawling Ain al-Asad air base in western Anbar province but did not explode, the military said in a statement.
There was no significant damage, the statement said. An Iraqi security official said a fence at the perimeter of the base was minimally damaged. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
An investigation by security forces found the projectile had been launched from the nearby al-Baghdadi area.
The attack is the latest targeting the American presence in Iraq. Rockets and, more recently, drones have targeted military bases hosting U.S. troops and the U.S. Embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.
The regular assaults have been described as disruptive by U.S. contractors working on military bases. Recently, Lockheed Martin relocated its F-16 maintenance teams, citing security concerns.
The U.S. and Iraq are negotiating a timeline for foreign troops to withdraw from the country. Talks began under the former administration of Donald Trump and resumed after President Joe Biden assumed office.
Last year, Purple Hearts awarded to troops injured during the Jan. 8 2020 Iranian missile barrage on the al-Asad airbase in Iraq, a defense official told Military Times.
In the weeks following the attack, 110 troops were eventually diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injuries in Tehran’s attack targeting the airbase — where roughly 1,000 U.S. troops are stationed. The barrage was in response to a U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3. 2020.
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