The Ain al-Asad base was hit by five rockets Wednesday, with three more landing outside the perimeter and officials said no casualties had been reported.
Three military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria were attacked Wednesday, with the Iraqi bases reportedly enduring rocket fire that officials said caused no casualties, according to the Associated Press. The bases remain in Iraq’s western Anbar province and Baghdad as Iran-backed militias continue to call for the exit of all American forces from Iraq, threatening more attacks until their demand is met. The attacks are likely motivated by a combination of continuing animosity over U.S. forces remaining in the country and the Monday anniversary of the airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassim Soleimani in Baghdad two years ago, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. An unknown group calling itself Qassem al-Jabaryn took credit later Wednesday for the attack on the Ain al-Asad base, pledging more attacks until all U.S. forces are withdrawn. Five Katyusha rockets landed inside the base, with three more landing outside the perimeter of the base, an Iraqi officer told the AP. The officer said soldiers were forced into shelter by the explosions, but no deaths were reported. The Wednesday attacks are the third this week, as two armed drones were shot down as they were reportedly on their way to the Baghdad airport, which contains a facility currently housing U.S. advisors. On Tuesday, another two drones targeting another Iraqi base with U.S. troops in the Anbar province were downed. In Syria, eight rounds of indirect fire landed inside a base with members of the U.
