The regional command of the US armed forces, Central Command, said on the short message service X (formerly Twitter) that the missiles – including ballistic missiles – had been fired by “Iran-backed extremists”. At least one member of the Iraqi security forces was injured and several US soldiers were being examined for possible traumatic brain injuries.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq group claimed responsibility for the attack. This is a loose association of armed groups with ties to Iran.
Since the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas began on October 7, attacks on bases used by the US Army in Iraq and Syria have increased significantly. The US military has recorded more than a hundred such attacks since mid-October. In response, the US repeatedly attacked positions of pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic Resistance group in Iraq claimed responsibility for most of the attacks. Around 2,500 US soldiers are stationed in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria. The US-led international military coalition in these countries was founded in 2014 to push back the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS).
At the beginning of January, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for an end to the international military coalition’s deployment in his country. The justification for the coalition’s existence has expired, said a statement released by Sudani’s office.
