US forces in Iraq and Syria faced drone and rocket attacks in two separate incidents within 24 hours. The attacks occurred at an air base in western Iraq and a base in northeastern Syria. No casualties were reported. The attacks follow a near-three-month pause in such incidents. US troops in Iraq and Syria total 2,500 and 900, respectively.
US forces in Iraq and Syria faced two separate rocket and explosive drone attacks in less than 24 hours, Iraqi security sources and US officials told Reuters on Monday, in the first such incidents reported after a near three-month pause.
Two drones were shot down near Ain al-Asad air base that hosts US troops in the western Iraqi province of Anbar out of an abundance of caution, a US official said.
That followed five rockets fired from northern Iraq toward US forces at a base in Rumalyn in remote northeastern Syria on Sunday, according to US and Iraqi officials.
There were no reports of casualties or significant damage from the attacks.
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rocket attack on Sunday targeted US troops, in what appeared to be the first attack against US troops in Iraq and Syria since Feb. 4.
On Saturday, a massive explosion at a military base in Iraq killed a member of an Iraqi security force that includes Iran-backed groups.
The force commander said it was an attack, while the army said it was investigating and that there were no warplanes in the sky at the time. The US military denied involvement.
Near-daily rocket and drone strikes on US forces began in mid-October. Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility, citing US backing for Israel’s war in Gaza.
The attacks stopped in late January under pressure from Iraqi authorities and Iran, following deadly US retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq, after three US soldiers were killed in a drone strike on a small base on the Iraqi-Jordanian border.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani returned at the weekend from a week-long visit to the United States, where he met President Joe Biden in an effort to turn a new page in US-Iraqi relations despite soaring regional tensions.
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled strongman leader Saddam Hussein, withdrawing in 2011 before returning in 2014 at the head of an international military coalition at the Baghdad government’s request to help fight Islamic State insurgents.
The US has some 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in eastern Syria on an advise-and-assist mission.
The recent drone and rocket attacks targeting US forces in Iraq have raised serious concerns about the security situation in the region. According to US officials, these attacks pose a significant threat to the safety and well-being of our troops stationed in Iraq. The use of advanced technology such as drones in these attacks highlights the evolving nature of security threats faced by military personnel. As we closely monitor the situation, it is important to assess the implications of these attacks not only for the safety of our forces but also for the larger geopolitical dynamics in the region. Stay tuned for further analysis and updates on this critical issue.
Source: ARY NEWS
Summary:
Drone and rocket attacks targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria, with two drones shot down near Ain al-Asad air base and five rockets fired at a base in Rumalyn. No casualties or significant damage were reported. The attacks mark the first incidents after a three-month pause. The US military denied involvement in a massive explosion at an Iraqi military base. Daily rocket and drone strikes on US forces had ceased in late January, following US retaliatory airstrikes. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s recent visit to the US aimed to improve US-Iraqi relations amid regional tensions.
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