Washington.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the Pentagon will “attack if necessary” to respond to this week’s attack on an Iraqi base targeting U.S. troops, though it is unclear who is responsible for the onslaught.
“We will attack, if we believe this is necessary, at a time and place we choose. We demand the right to protect our troops,” Austin said in an interview with ABC News.
Ten rockets struck the military base of Ain al-Assad in the Iraqi province of Al-Anbar (west), home to about 2,000 U.S. troops, in an attack that left no casualties or injured, although a U.S. contractor suffered a cardiac arrest during the bombing and died shortly thereafter.
The White House later said it was still investigating who launched the attack, and vowed to avoid any “hasty or ill-informed decisions that could escalate tensions” in the region.
In late February, Biden ordered a bombardment of pro-Iranian militias in Syria that left at least one dead and two wounded; and did so in retaliation for an attack on another base in Erbil (northern Iraq), which killed an American contractor and left several wounded among the U.S. and Iraqi military.
Although this week’s attack on this second Iraqi base has left no casualties, Austin has stressed that the US government wants to make sure that those who attack them are “accountable for their actions” and that it will do what is necessary. to defend himself “.
The Pentagon chief clarified that it is still unclear who launched the attack, and is “encouraging Iraqis to move forward as quickly as possible” in his investigation.
However, many in Washington suspect a likely involvement of Iran, and Austin did not correct the journalist when asked about the effect the possible retaliation by the Pentagon may have on relations with Tehran.
“Iran is fully capable of assessing what our bombings and activities mean, and they will come to their own conclusions. What they have to deduce from this is that we will defend our troops,” Austin concluded.