Broken glass covers the floor of a store after a rocket attack on the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq on Feb. 15, 2021. Authorities say at least one rocket hit a military building housing U.S.-led coalition forces, killing a total of one and wounding five.
U.S. coalition forces in Iraq say a military base in the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq, where mostly U.S. troops are stationed, was hit by several rockets Monday (Feb. 15), killing one and wounding five. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is “deeply outraged” by the attack and is willing to help authorities uncover those behind it.
According to initial reports, the dead were a civilian contractor and five others were injured, including a U.S. military personnel. This is the worst attack on U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq in nearly a year. U.S. forces are on the same side as Iraqi and Kurdish allied forces, and have recently been in a heightened state of emergency with pro-Iranian militias.
A coalition spokesman tweeted that the rocket attack hit coalition forces in the autonomous Kurdish capital of Erbil, and more details will be released later.
According to Reuters, Kud security sources said at least three rockets landed near the Erbil International Airport in the evening. The media reporter heard several loud explosions and saw a fire near the airport.
Since Iraq declared victory over Islamic State (IS) in 2017, the number of coalition troops has dropped to less than 3,500, of which 2,500 are American. Most of the soldiers are stationed at a military base adjacent to Abir International Airport.
The Qods Ministry of Interior issued a statement saying several rockets were fired toward Abir and the suburbs at about 9:30 p.m. local Time, causing a number of injuries. But it did not provide further details.
A group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed to have carried out the attack, saying it targeted “U.S. troops” in Iraq, but provided no evidence.
Some 12 similar groups have emerged in the past year claiming to have launched rocket attacks, according to AFP. U.S. and Iraqi security officials have said they believe these groups are outfits of pro-Iranian factions such as the Kataeb Hezbollah and the Asaib Ahl al-Haq. .
Blinken said the U.S. was outraged by Monday’s rocket attack. He said the U.S. has contacted Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan government, to discuss the attack and has pledged to provide assistance to make the attackers pay.
The last deadly attack against coalition forces occurred last March, killing a Briton and two U.S. personnel.
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