US official: US soldiers were injured in an attack on the Asad air base in Iraq with ballistic missiles
US soldiers were slightly injured and a member of the Iraqi security forces was seriously injured in an attack on the Iraqi Asad air base on Saturday, a US official said.
The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that initial reports also indicate that the base was bombed with ballistic missiles, and perhaps other types of missiles, indicating that the assessment is still ongoing.
Two security sources in Iraq and a government source said that the base was hit by several missiles launched from inside Iraq.
Another US official said that the attack was carried out by gunmen from inside Iraq.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October last year, the US military has been attacked at least 58 times in Iraq and 83 times in Syria by militants allied with Iran, usually with a combination of missiles and bomb-laden drones.
The militants want the United States to suffer losses because of its support for Israel in the face of the Iranian-backed Hamas movement.
The United States has 900 soldiers in Syria and 2,500 soldiers in Iraq on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent the return of ISIS, which in 2014 took control of large areas in both countries before its defeat.
Iraq is deeply concerned about becoming an arena for the United States and Israel to fight with Iran.
The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al Sudani announced the start of measures to remove US forces from the country after a US drone strike in Baghdad, which the government denounced.
The Pentagon said that the raid led to the killing of the leader of an armed faction responsible for recent attacks on US soldiers.
The Pentagon added that it hadn’t been officially notified of any plans to end the presence of US forces in the country, and says that its forces are deployed in Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad.
Last Monday, Iran bombed Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, with ballistic missiles in what it said was an attack on an Israeli spy headquarters, allegations denied by Iraqi officials and Iraqi Kurds.
