Baghdad base hosting US troops targeted in attacks as support for Israeli wars inflames tensions

Baghdad, Iraq - Three rockets were fired at a base housing US troops at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on Tuesday, causing no casualties, two security sources told AFP.

Iraqi militias reportedly launched rockets at a base hosting US troops in Baghdad, in response to US support for Israel's war on Gaza and Lebanon (file photo).
Iraqi militias reportedly launched rockets at a base hosting US troops in Baghdad, in response to US support for Israel's war on Gaza and Lebanon (file photo).  © Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP

"The Victory Base at Baghdad Airport was targeted with three rockets, two of which were shot down by the base's special defenses, while the third fell near the headquarters of the Counter Terrorism Service Command," a security source said.

A second security source confirmed the report, noting that there were no casualties and that the rockets did not affect air traffic.

The attack comes Israel's wars on in Gaza and Lebanon have spiraled into a full-blown regional conflict.

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Since October 7, militant factions have targeted bases in Iraq and Syria hosting US troops over Washington's military support for Israel's aggressions. The US has repeatedly responded with airstrikes in both countries.

Some 2,500 American troops in Iraq are still present in Iraq, and about 900 remain in neighboring Syria as part of the coalition established in 2014 to fight the Islamic State.

An increasingly large constituency in Iraq is demanding their withdrawal, with Washington and Baghdad announced Friday that the international coalition would end its decade-long military mission within a year.

The question of how many US troops would remain in Iraq, though, has not been answered, and Washington is pushing to maintain some sort of footprint.

Cover photo: Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP

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