A rocket attack on a U.S. air base in Iraq struck a coalition air base near Erbil International Airport. Two U.S. officials said the contractor who was killed was not an American. The coalition said five other contractors were wounded, including a U.S. military source, but provided no further details. Iraq has seen a spate of such attacks before, the first on Western military or diplomatic facilities in nearly two months. The U.S. is outraged and has vowed to take responsibility.
According to Reuters, a rocket attack on a U.S. air base in Iraq injured one U.S. soldier. Rockets struck U.S.-led coalition forces in northern Iraq on Monday, killing one contractor and wounding one U.S. service member, according to U.S. coalition forces in Iraq. The rocket struck the coalition’s air base near Erbil International Airport. Two U.S. officials said the contractor who was killed was not an American. Coalition forces said five other contractors were wounded, but provided no further details.
An unnamed group claimed responsibility for the attack, and some Iraqi officials say it has ties to Iran.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an investigation and vowed to “hold the perpetrators accountable” for the rocket attack on an air base in Iraq’s northern Kurdish autonomous region, according to AFP. In a statement, Blinken said, “We are outraged by today’s rocket attack on the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq.” “I have contacted Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the autonomous Qods government, to discuss the incident and pledge my support for all investigations and actions to hold the perpetrators accountable,” Blinken said.
The U.S.-led coalition said the air base was hit by several rocket attacks Monday night, killing a foreign contractor and wounding five others, including a U.S. soldier. Iraq has previously seen a spate of such attacks, the first on a Western military or diplomatic facility in nearly two months.
When former U.S. President Donald Trump was in office, Washington vowed to take immediate retaliatory action against Iran if any U.S. citizens were killed in such rocket attacks, and U.S. military officers accused Iran of supporting Iraqi militia groups in the attacks.
However, Blinken’s call for an investigation into this represents a different position than the Biden administration’s policy, according to AFP.
An AFP reporter heard several deafening explosions on the northwestern outskirts of Abir at about 9:30 p.m. yesterday, according to the AFP report. Sources in the Iraqi and Western security forces told AFP that at least three rockets were fired in the direction of the airport in Arbil. Two other rockets hit residential areas on the outskirts of Arbil. Foreign forces are stationed at the airport in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, as they join forces with the international fight against Islamic State (ISIS).
The Qods Autonomous Region’s Interior Ministry issued a statement confirming that “several rockets” had hit Abir, saying security agencies had launched an investigation and urging people to stay at Home until further notice.
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