Airbase hosting U.S. troops targeted in rocket attack

(Worthy News) -An American civilian contractor, who has not been named, died of a ‘cardiac episode’ Wednesday after a barrage of rockets hit an Iraqi airbase hosting US troops, the Washington Times reports. At least 10 rockets were reportedly fired on the Ain al-Asad military airbase at 7.20 local time; no US troops were injured.

In a statement about Wednesday’s incident, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said: “Iraqi security forces are on scene and investigating. We cannot attribute responsibility at this time, and we do not have a complete picture of the extent of the damage. We stand by as needed to assist our Iraqi partners as they investigate.”

Iraqi officials are reported to have found the launch pad used for the missiles in the al-Baghdadi area of Anbar province, the Washington Times said. The officials added that the attack did not cause significant damage.

Wednesday’s barrage followed last week’s US strike in Syria which killed an Iran-backed militia member, the Washington Times reports. The US strike had itself followed a series of missile attacks in the region that are believed to have been carried out by the Iranian regime or its proxy militias.

The Al-Asad airbase has been targeted with rockets before: in January 2020, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a missile attack that injured dozens of US troops and damaged a number of buildings at the base.

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