The attack came 2 days after a military summit in Washington where Iraqi and US officials discussed winding down the coalition’s work US-led coalition forces came to Iraq a a decade ago to fight Daesh militants as they stormed across Iraq and Syria ANBAR, Iraq: Four Katyusha rockets were launched at Iraq’s Ain Al-Asad air base that houses US-led coalition forces late on Thursday, two security sources said, with no immediate confirmation of any casualties or damage. The sources said two rockets hit inside the base and two struck its perimeter. A coalition spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The attack came two days after a military summit in Washington where Iraqi and US officials discussed winding down the coalition’s work a decade after it was formed to fight Daesh militants as they stormed across Iraq and Syria. No major announcement was made at the end of the talks, though US and Iraqi sources say an announcement that it will begin to gradually wind down is likely in the coming weeks. Iran-aligned Iraqi political and military factions have pressured the country’s government to quickly draw down the coalition’s work and say they want all 2,500 troops deployed by the country’s one-time occupier to leave. Washington and the Iraqi government say they want to transition to a bilateral security relationship that would likely see some troops remain in an advisory role. US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, toppled former leader Saddam Hussein and then withdrew in 2011, only to return in 2014 to fight Daesh at the head of the coalition. Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions have targeted bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria dozens of times since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, though there have only been a handful of attacks since February, when a truce took hold.
مشاركة :