Military

Another Coalition base in Iraq attacked with rockets

Two rockets struck a training base south of Baghdad where U.S.-led coalition troops and NATO trainers are present, Iraq’s military said in a statement on Tuesday.

The rockets hit the Basmaya base outside of Baghdad on Monday evening. They impacted near a factory and what was described as agricultural land, but not where any troops were housed. The statement provided no further details.

This is the third attack on coalition troops in the past week. Since the end of October last year, there have been 24 rocket attacks on either the U.S. embassy in Baghdad or bases where coalition troops are deployed. These attacks on Iraqi sovereignty have killed three American military personnel, one female British soldier and one Iraqi soldier.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

Two rockets struck a training base south of Baghdad where U.S.-led coalition troops and NATO trainers are present, Iraq’s military said in a statement on Tuesday.

The rockets hit the Basmaya base outside of Baghdad on Monday evening. They impacted near a factory and what was described as agricultural land, but not where any troops were housed. The statement provided no further details.

This is the third attack on coalition troops in the past week. Since the end of October last year, there have been 24 rocket attacks on either the U.S. embassy in Baghdad or bases where coalition troops are deployed. These attacks on Iraqi sovereignty have killed three American military personnel, one female British soldier and one Iraqi soldier.

No one has claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks. However,  the U.S. has blamed Kata’ib Hizbollah, an Iranian-led militia part of the Hashd al-Shaabi PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces).

The areas surrounding these PMF militias began to be plastered with PMF flags and billboards picturing Iran’s supreme leader, a man some PMF groups think of as their religious leader and commander, late last year just when the attacks started.

“We will make them leave if they don’t want to leave,” a Kata’ib Hizbollah commander, who called himself Abu Ameneh, told the BBC in an interview. 

The base at Basmaya houses Spanish coalition troops as well as NATO trainers. The coalition hasn’t yet published a statement or given any casualty reports. 

Last week, a large rocket attack struck Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, killing two Americans and a British servicewoman. Wednesday’s attack was followed by another on Saturday, also at Taji, which wounded five troops, three coalition members and two Iraqi soldiers.

The initial attack saw the Americans retaliate with large airstrikes against weapons facilities belonging to Kata’ib Hizbollah, which they claim to have been responsible. A U.S. military spokesman said that the ISIS fighters, which the coalition is fighting, do not have the capability to launch those types of attacks. In a tit-for-tat exchange, the Iranian proxy Shiite militia groups vowed to exact revenge against the coalition and indeed coalition bases were hit on Saturday and today. 

Iraq’s military said that the coalition’s airstrikes also killed five security force members and a civilian while wounding five members of the Popular Mobilization Forces. Iraq summoned the American and British ambassadors to the Foreign Ministry over the airstrike, while vowing to investigate the rocket attacks.

The U.S. is pulling out of three of its bases in Iraq, as the Iranian militia presence has forced its hand. The base at al-Qaim has been a source of irritation between the U.S. and the Iranian proxies. 

The U.S. also plans to pull the troops from Qayara Airfield West, known as Q-West, and Kirkuk. Qayara was the base that the United States staged from to take back Mosul from ISIS. Not so coincidentally, both bases have been hit by rocket attacks in recent months. A U.S. contractor was killed in a rocket attack in Kirkuk late in December. 

About Steve Balestrieri View All Posts

Steve is a SOFREP Senior Editor. He has served as a Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. He writes for SOFREP and covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers.

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In