Iraqi armed forces condemn the “reckless” attack on the Ain al-Assad airbase. The army warned that such an action “could increase tension” in the Middle East.
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The Iraqi army on Tuesday condemned the “reckless” rocket attack that hit the Ain al-Assad airbase, which houses US military advisers, on Monday night.
In a statement, the army warned that Such actions “could increase tension” in the Middle East at a time of risk of regional escalation.
On Monday, the Iraqi armed forces said in a statement that at around 9:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. in Lisbon) two rockets were launched against this important air base located in the western Iraqi province of Al-Anbar, where “advisers from the international coalition” are stationed “led by Washington.
American media reported that the action left wounded among US soldiersIraqi security sources told Efe that the Katyusha rockets – widely used by pro-Iranian militias in the country – did not reach the facilities.
“Rockets were launched at the Ain al-Assad base” in the western Iraqi province of Al-Anbar, an Iraqi security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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Some “fell inside the base” and a “rocket” fell on a neighboring town, without causing damage.added the same source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“We reject all reckless acts and practices against Iraqi bases, diplomatic missions, places where coalition advisers are present and anything that could increase tension in the area or drag Iraq into serious situations,” the army said in a statement today.
The statement promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, but those responsible for the attack, claimed by al-Thawrayun, a group linked to the standard-bearer of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the powerful pro-Iranian militia Kataib, have not been identified.
The attack comes a week after Washington killed four members of Kataib Hezbollah in a bombing raid south of Baghdad and, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, a drone expert from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a group with which the Islamic Resistance in Iraq recently began launching joint attacks against Israel.
American analysts say Kataib Hezbollah is hiding behind groups like al-Thawrayun to launch retaliatory attacks that do not trigger a harsh response from Washington, which in recent months has bombed several positions of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, causing dozens of deaths.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched around 200 attacks on US-occupied bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since the start of the Gaza war, actions it says are in defence of the Palestinians.
However, the militant group has slowed down its pace of action since one of its drones killed three US soldiers on the Syrian-Jordanian border in early January, prompting a harsh response from Washington in Iraq.
Source: Observadora
