Several rockets were launched Thursday and Friday against bases hosting troops from the US-led anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq and Syria, security officials and a war monitor said. These attacks, while frequent early in the war between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants in Gaza, had largely halted since then. An Iraqi security source reported that “four rockets fell in the vicinity” of Ain al-Assad base in Anbar province. Another security official stated that an attack occurred with “a drone and three rockets” that fell close to the base perimeter. A United States official confirmed that initial reports indicated that the projectiles landed outside the base without causing injuries or damage. All sources spoke anonymously, as they are not authorized to speak to the media.
At least one rocket also fell near a base of the coalition in the Conoco gas field in Deir Ezzor province of eastern Syria, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. The Observatory reported hearing a blast in the area but received no immediate reports of casualties. They attributed the rocket attack to “zones under the control of pro-Iranian militia” groups.
Neither attack has been claimed. In recent months, Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq have largely ceased similar attacks on US-backed troops. These latest attacks come after a security meeting in Washington this week between Iraqi and US officials regarding the future of the international anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq. Iran-backed groups have demanded its withdrawal.
On Wednesday, the US Defense Department declared that “the delegations reached an understanding on the concept for a new phase of the bilateral security relationship”. This would include “cooperation through liaison officers, training, and traditional security cooperation programmes”.
On July 16, two drones were launched against Ain al-Assad base, with one exploding inside without causing injuries or damage. A senior security official in Baghdad attributed the attack to an attempt to “embarrass” the Iraqi government ahead of the security meeting.
For more than three months, as regional tensions escalated over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, United States troops were targeted by rockets and drones over 175 times in the Middle East, primarily in Iraq and Syria. The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, claimed responsibility for most of these attacks, citing solidarity with Gaza Palestinians.
In January, a drone strike attributed to these groups killed three US soldiers at a base in Jordan. In retaliation, US forces launched dozens of strikes against Tehran-backed fighters. Since then, attacks against US troops have largely subsided. Baghdad has sought to alleviate tensions by engaging in talks with Washington about the future of the US-led coalition’s mission in Iraq.
The US military maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria with the international coalition. The coalition was deployed to Iraq in 2014 at the government’s request to combat the Islamic State group, which had seized vast swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria. Remnants of IS continue to carry out attacks and ambushes in both countries.
