US troops injured by Iran proxies in ballistic missile attack in Iraq

Since the Israel-Gaza war began in October, the US military has come under almost daily attacks

Several US personnel and a member of Iraq’s security forces were wounded in a ballistic missile attack on Iraq’s Ain Al Asad airbase, west of Baghdad, on Saturday, the US military said.

The strike against the US base in Anbar province, which mainly houses Iraqi forces, is the largest missile attack on US troops since Iran struck the same base in 2020, in retaliation for an attack that killed Iranian Maj Gen Qassem Suleimani, near Baghdad.

Iran-backed militant groups fired multiple ballistic missiles and rockets from inside Iraq at around 6.30pm local time, the US military confirmed.

“The air defence systems in the base intercepted most of the missiles, while others landed in the base,” a statement said.

US forces did not confirm the extent of any injuries but said personnel were being evaluated for “head injuries”, adding that “damage assessments are ongoing”.

Since the Israel-Gaza war began in October, the US military has come under attack at least 58 times in Iraq and another 83 times in Syria by Iran-backed militants, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones.

The militants are seeking to impose a cost on the US for its support of Israel against the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of ISIS, which in 2014 seized large parts of both countries before being defeated.

Iraq is deeply concerned about becoming a battleground between the US, Israel and Iran.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani announced moves to evict US forces following the escalation between them and Tehran-allied Shiite militias. More than a dozen fighters, including a senior militia leader, have been killed in US strikes.

The Pentagon said it has not been formally notified of any plans to end the US troop presence in the country, and says its forces are deployed to Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad.

Iran on Monday struck Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, with ballistic missiles in what it said was an attack on an Israeli spy headquarters. claims denied by Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials.