Attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria since October 7, 2023, screen image via Fox News, January 19, 2024.
Published January 21, 2024
U.S. Central Command issued a statement Saturday on a rocket and ballistic missile attack by Iran-backed terrorists on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq that injured “a number” of U.S. troops who are “undergoing evaluation” for traumatic brain injuries. An Iraqi soldier was also wounded in the attack. Earlier reports from anonymous officials to Pentagon reporters said that two soldiers suffered concussions.
Iranian-backed militants attack al-Assad Airbase, Iraq
At approximately 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) time Jan. 20, multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in Western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase. Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing. A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.
The Iran backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq took credit for the attack:
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful
“Permission is given to those who fight because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is Able to grant them victory.”
In continuation of our approach to resisting the American occupation forces in Iraq and the region, and in response to the Zionist entity’s massacres against our people in Gaza, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked the occupied Ain al-Asad base in western Iraq with a missile salvo, and the Islamic Resistance confirms its continued destruction of enemy strongholds.
(And victory is only from God. Indeed, God is Mighty, All-Wise)
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SOURCE: www.thegatewaypundit.com
RELATED: U.S. Blames Iranian-Backed Militants For Attack On Iraq Base, Tehran Accuses Israel Of Killing IRGC Officers In Syria
In recent weeks, pro-Iranian militias have intensified their attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria in response to the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Published January 21, 2024
As heightened tensions in the Middle East lead to concerns of a broader regional conflict, the United States has blamed Iranian-backed militants for an attack on a U.S. military base in Iraq, while Iran accused Israel of killing members of the Iranian military in Syria in an incident Tehran says will not go unanswered.
U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said on January 20 that “multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in western Iraq targeting the Al-Assad Air Base,” which is one of the largest U.S. military bases in Iraq.
CENTCOM said most of the missiles were intercepted but some had hit the base, at which about 2,500 U.S. soldiers are currently stationed.
“A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries,” CENTCOM said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.”
The attack comes as Iranian-backed proxies and partners have stepped up their strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria amid Israel’s ongoing war against Iranian-backed Hamas — which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union — in the Gaza Strip.
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SOURCE: www.rferl.org
RELATED: Iran ups the ante against US, proxies strike Iraq military base with ballistic missiles
Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops at Al-Asad Air Base, Iraq, in 2019.REUTERS
Published January 21, 2024
- US personnel in Iraq are undergoing traumatic brain injury evaluations.
- The evaluations follow a missile barrage launched by Iran-back militias on the Al-Asad airbase.
- Regional tensions have been escalating, with this militia’s actions mirroring the Houthis’ aggression.
US personnel in Iraq are undergoing traumatic brain injury evaluations after Iranian-backed militias launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and rockets at the Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq on Saturday, according to a statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The press release stated that multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched at about 6:30 p.m. Baghdad time on January 20.
“Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base,” per CENTCOM.
CENTCOM said that damage assessments are ongoing, and several US personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries.
At least one Iraqi service member was reportedly wounded.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia group, claimed responsibility for firing the missiles that were launched from inside the country.
The attack is believed to be the largest among more than 140 incidents since mid-October, signifies a pattern of Iranian-backed militia groups targeting US forces in Iraq and Syria, ABC News reports.
The attacks are seen by some as acts of solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, mirroring similar actions by Houthi militants in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden against commercial shipping.
Unlike previous attacks primarily using Iranian-made drones and rockets, Saturday’s assault involved more powerful ballistic missiles and repesents an escalatory move, per ABC News.
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SOURCE: www.businessinsider.com
