Six servicemen wounded after rockets hit base of Iraq military & US forces
An army basecamp near the Baghdad International Airport was struck with a barrage of rockets on Monday amid a surge in similar attacks on US-linked installations in Iraq.
Six fighters were wounded, two of them critically, after four rockets landed on the base, the Iraqi Army said. Security sources told AFP that the wounded belonged to an elite anti-terrorism unit, trained by the US.
Breaking: sirens sound near Baghdad international airport after blasts reported, they could be a result of a rocket attack #Iraq#Baghdadpic.twitter.com/JC2BL2ONkZ
— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) December 8, 2019
The army found a Katyusha multiple rocket launcher in the area, along with several missiles that failed to launch. No party has claimed the responsibility for the attack as of yet.
#BREAKING: Two rockets landed near Baghdad International Airport in an attack that was targeting American forces. https://t.co/qPe3ToE98r
— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) December 8, 2019
The airport is located next to the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center (BDSC), which is used by diplomats and intelligence operatives, as well as the US-led anti-terrorist coalition forces in Iraq.
There have been at least nine attacks against US targets in Iraq over the course of six weeks.
Breaking: Rocket attack targeting the military airport in Baghdad, the location where it hit is the headquarters of the Iraqi counter terrorism unites and meters away from the U.S forces #Iraq#Baghdadpic.twitter.com/01TjigTUWb
— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) December 8, 2019
Several flights that were supposed to pass over the airport have reportedly been diverted to the area northeast of the Iraqi capital due to the reports of a rocket attack.
Also on rt.com Several rockets target Basra Airport, close to where US Consulate is located#UPDATE: Possible a number of international flights above Baghdad have been diverted to the northeast of the city, including an Air France flight, due to rocket/missile launches reportedly targeting US forces at Baghdad International Airport pic.twitter.com/yQrTbftK7y
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) December 8, 2019
The incident comes as Iraq is gripped by a wave of anti-establishment protests, with demonstrators accusing the government of corruption and demanding they vacate their posts. The resignation of Iraqi PM Adel Abdul Mahdi a week ago did little to placate the protesters, who came out in force on Sunday, including in Baghdad.
The unrest has been marred by widespread violence.At least 452 people, mostly protesters, have died and over 20,000 have been injured since the start of the action in October. On Friday, Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric called on the political leadership to pick a new PM “without any foreign interference.”
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