A strike hit a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq early Tuesday, causing “minor injuries to U.S. personnel and damage to infrastructure,” a U.S. military official in the country said.
Quick Read
- Strike at U.S. Base in Iraq: A base housing U.S. troops in Iraq was struck early Tuesday, resulting in minor injuries to U.S. personnel and damage to infrastructure.
- U.S. Military Response: Following the strike on the al-Asad military base in western Iraq, U.S. forces executed a defensive response. A special operations AC-130 gunship reportedly killed multiple militants involved in the attack.
- Drone Strike on Militia Convoy: Concurrently, a drone strike targeted two pickup trucks on a highway west of Baghdad, associated with the Kataeb Hezbollah militia, leading to one militia member’s death and injuries to at least three others.
- Uncertainty Over Strikes’ Connection: It remains unclear whether the drone strike was part of the U.S. retaliation for the al-Assad base attack.
- Context of Rising Tensions: These incidents occur amid a series of attacks by Iranian-backed militants on bases and facilities housing U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria since October 17, with over five dozen attacks reported. The militants claim these strikes are a response to U.S. support of Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The Associated Press has the story:
US Military: Strike hits base with troops in Iraq, Injuries Minor
Newslooks- BAGHDAD (AP)
A strike hit a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq early Tuesday, causing “minor injuries to U.S. personnel and damage to infrastructure,” a U.S. military official in the country said.
The official said U.S. forces “responded in self-defense against those who carried out the strike” on al-Asad military base in western Iraq. A second defense official said “multiple” militants were killed in a strike carried out by a special operations AC-130 gunship that was already operating in the area.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Also early Tuesday, a drone strike on a highway west of Baghdad targeted two pickup trucks linked to the Kataeb Hezbollah militia, killing one militia member and injuring at least three others, two militia officials said.
The militia officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the strike hit a convoy traveling from Anbar to Baghdad. Later on Tuesday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed militias, issued a statement announcing the death of one of its members in Iraq in what it said was a U.S. airstrike.
It was not immediately clear if the strike that killed the Kataeb Hezbollah member was the same one launched in retaliation to the attack on the al-Assad base.
The two incidents come as Iranian-backed militants have launched dozens of attacks on bases and facilities housing U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. While most of the more than five dozen attacks have been ineffective, at least 60 U.S. personnel have reported minor injuries. The militant groups have said that the strikes are in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
