Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was “outraged” by a rocket attack on a U.S.-led military base in northern Iraq that killed a contractor and injured six others, including a member. of U.S. service Monday.
Why it’s important: Although it is unclear who carried out the attack on the normally peaceful Kurdish city of Erbil, it comes amid intense tensions over the threat of Iran-backed militias against US targets in the country. ‘Iraq, according to the New York Times.
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- Earlier, militias have been accused of previous attacks in Iraq.
Details: A rocket attack erupted in residential areas of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, during the attack, with a landing near the Chinese consulate, NYT reports.
- Blinken said early reports “indicate that the attacks killed one civilian contractor and injured several members of the Coalition, including a member of the U.S. service and several U.S. contractors.”
- He said he had contacted the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, to “discuss the incident and pledge our support to all efforts to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with more details about the attack.