Published 2024-01-23 23.10
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fullscreen Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq. Archive image. Photo: Nasser Nasser/AP/TT
The US has carried out airstrikes against targets belonging to Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
The attacks follow recent attacks on the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, which houses US and international forces. On Saturday, the air base was attacked by robots, and on Tuesday, a drone attack was carried out. Iran-backed militias have claimed both attacks.
According to the US military’s Middle East Command, Centcom, the retaliatory attack targeted three facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The targets of the attacks were headquarters, storage sites and training facilities for rocket, robotic and drone attacks.
“The precision strikes are a direct response to a series of escalating attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The damage from Tuesday’s attacks, both the drone strike on the Ain al Asad air base and the US response, is still being assessed.