Seven US personnel injured in attack on Iraq base

AFP | Baghdad, Iraq

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

A rocket attack on a base in Iraq wounded seven Americans, a US official said yesterday, with the Pentagon blaming Iran-aligned forces for the violence that comes as the region awaits an expected counterattack by Tehran on Israel.

The rocket fire the previous day was the latest in a series of attacks targeting Ain al-Assad base, which hosts American troops as well as other personnel from the US-led coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group.

“Five US service members and two US contractors were injured in the attack,” in which two rockets struck the base, the US defence official said on condition of anonymity.

Five of the wounded are being treated at the base while two have been evacuated for further treatment, the official said, adding that all are in stable condition.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack the previous day, the White House said.

“They discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing,” it said in a statement.

A Pentagon statement on a call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant described the rocket fire as an “Iran-aligned militia attack on US forces” and said the two agreed that it “marked a dangerous escalation”.