Baghdad – At least 10 rockets went to a military base in western Iraq that houses about 2,000 U.S. soldiers on Wednesday, U.S. and Iraqi military officials said. A U.S. defense official told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin that no casualties were reported among U.S. troops or the coalition, but a civilian contractor died in an attack of heart during the rocket strike. The nationality of the contractor was not immediately clear.
The rockets attacked Ain al-Assad air base in Anbar province at 7:20 a.m., according to Colonel Wayne Marotto, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition.
The Iraqi army later issued a statement saying the attack did not cause significant casualties and that security forces had found the launch pad used for the missiles. An Iraqi official said he was found in the Al-Baghdadi area of Anbar, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to report to the media.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack, but a large-scale rocket attack similar to the same base a year ago by Iranian-backed militias pushed the U.S. to the brink of war with the Iran.
Twitter / Mustafa al-Dulaimi
Wednesday ‘s rocket rescue was the first attack since The United States achieved the goals of the militia aligned with Iran along the border with Iraq and Syria last week, killing a militiaman and sparking fears of a possible repeat of a series of tit-per-tat attacks that escalated last year, culminating in the US-led drone strike. killed Iranian General Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad airport.
Wednesday’s attack was aimed at the same base that Iran attacked with a missile shower in January last year in retaliation for Soleimani’s assassination. Dozens of members of the American service were injured and suffered concussions in this strike. How David Martin reported for “60 minutes” the strike was the largest ballistic missile attack against the Americans.
His report on “60 Minutes” took a first look at the drone video of the attack and spoke to some of the American troops who were there the night the United States and the United States approached. ‘Iran more than ever in total war.
Denmark, which also has troops at the base, condemned the attack, saying coalition forces in Ain al-Assad are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government, helping to provide stability and security to the country.
“The despicable attacks on Ain al-Assad’s base in #Iraq are completely unacceptable,” tweeted Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. The Danish armed forces said two Danes, who were in the field at the time of the attack, were unharmed.
Wednesday’s attack comes two days before Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq on a long-awaited trip that will include Baghdad, southern Iraq and the northern city of Erbil.
Last week’s U.S. strike at the border had been in response to a series of rocket attacks aimed at the U.S. presence, including one that killed a Philippine coalition contractor outside the U.S. Irbil Airport.
Following the attack, the Pentagon said the strike was a “proportional military response” adopted after consulting coalition partners.
Marotto said Iraqi security forces were conducting an investigation into the attack on Ain al-Assad.
U.S. troops in Iraq significantly decreased their presence in the country last year under the Trump administration. Forces withdrew from several Iraqis based across the country to consolidate mainly in Ain al-Assad and Baghad.
Frequent rocket attacks by the Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq, aimed at the heavily fortified green area that houses the U.S. embassy, during President Donald Trump’s tenure frustrated the administration, causing threats to close the embassy and vague climbers.