Washington [US], August 6: A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that a rocket attack on the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq on August 5 injured several US servicemen , according to AFP. The base is home to US troops as well as those from the US-led coalition fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
The spokesman added that base staff are assessing the damage following the attack and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
The White House said US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack. "They discussed the steps we are taking to protect our forces and respond to any attack on our service members in a manner and location of our choosing," the White House stressed in a statement.
An Iraqi military source earlier confirmed that several rockets were launched at the Ain al-Assad base, some of which fell inside the base and another in a nearby village but caused no damage.
A commander in a pro-Iranian armed group told AFP that at least two rockets had targeted the Ain al-Assad base, but did not say who had carried out the attack.
The rocket attack on August 5 came after US forces last week carried out an attack on people trying to launch drones that were seen as a threat to US troops and allies, AFP reported, citing a US official.
Several sources in Iraq said the new attack carried out by the US killed four people. It was the first attack by US forces in Iraq since February, according to AFP.
There have been two recent attacks targeting bases housing US and allied troops in Iraq.
US troops in Iraq and Syria have not been targeted since April, but attacks on them were much more common in the first few months of the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza, according to AFP.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
