Multiple rockets hit an air base in northern Iraq on Saturday, Feb. 20, local Time, injuring an employee of a U.S. company. This is the second time in a week that a U.S. base in Iraq has been attacked, and there is no concrete response from the Biden administration yet.
The Iraqi military said at least four rockets hit the Balad air base north of Baghdad on Saturday (Feb. 20), injuring an Iraqi contractor who works for a U.S. company based there that repairs F-16 warplanes for the Iraqi army.
This is the second rocket attack in less than a week on an Iraqi base where U.S. troops or U.S. companies are stationed, and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iraqi officials noted that Iranian-backed militant groups have come forward several times in the past to claim responsibility for similar attacks.
Last week, a rocket attack on a U.S. base near Abir International Airport in northern Iraq killed a U.S. contractor and wounded nine others. The U.S. Biden Administration expressed outrage, saying it would first identify the perpetrators and reserved the right to respond. As of now, there has been no progress.
The latest attack comes just days after NATO announced last week that it would significantly increase its troop presence in Iraq, from 500 to 4,000, to fight the remnants of the Islamic State group there. The U.S. troop presence in Iraq began tapering last year and now stands at about 2,500.
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