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On March 17th, at least three rockets struck Baghdad’s Green Zone, near the US Embassy.
It came one day after an attack on the Besmaya training base south of the capital, where US-led coalition troops and NATO trainers were present, Iraqi security officials said.
Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, said the rockets fell at least 2km (1.2 miles) from the embassy.
The rockets struck the al-Jadriya neighborhood.
سقوط صاروخين نوع كاتيوشا انطلقا من منطقة عرب جبور باتجاه منطقة الجادرية أحدهما سقط على بناية متروكة قرب هيئة الحج والعمرة والاخر سقط في نهر دجلة، دون خسائر تذكر . pic.twitter.com/NHaPxKpot6
— خلية الإعلام الأمني?? (@SecMedCell) March 17, 2020
There were reports that a strike also struck camp Taji. Caggins denied the reports.
As of 11pm (Baghdad Time), no rockets were fired at Camp Taji. In Baghdad no explosions occurred near US/Coalition facilities. ? لحد الساعة11 مساء (بتوقيت بغداد) ، لم تطلق صواريخ على معسكر التاجي. كما لم تحدث انفجارات في بغداد بالقرب من منشآت أمريكية / تابعة لقوات التحالف.
— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) March 17, 2020
Camp Taji was attacked twice in a week. On March 11th, a rocket attack killed 3 US marines and a British army nurse.
It prompted American airstrikes on March 13th against what U.S. officials said were mainly weapons facilities belonging to Kata’ib Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group believed to be responsible.
On the next day, another attack struck camp Taji, wounding 3 US soldiers. The U.S.-led coalition said at least 25 107mm rockets struck Camp Taji. Some struck the area where coalition forces are based, while others fell on air defense units, the Iraqi military statement said.
In total, five people were wounded in the attack, including three coalition members and two Iraqi soldiers, according to spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition Myles Caggins.
A statement from Iraq’s military said the “brutal aggression” wounded a number of air defense personnel who remain in critical condition, but did not provide a number.
Jonathan Hoffman, chief Pentagon spokesman, confirmed that three U.S. service members were wounded in the Camp Taji attack. Two of them were seriously wounded and are hospitalized.
Hoffman also repeated US Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s comments, saying, “You cannot attack and wound American service members and get away with it. We will hold them accountable.”
The March 14th attack was unusual because it occurred during the day. Previous assaults on military bases housing U.S. troops typically occurred at night.
In total, four attacks have taken place within a week, with the 2 of them being on camp Taji, one on Besmaya, and now on the Green Zone in Baghdad.
The US blamed the attacks on Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, part of the Popular Mobilization Units that are officially under leadership of the Iraqi military.
No explanation has been forthcoming as to why an Iraqi militia – even one supported by Iran – would be using such outdated weaponry when the Iraqi military was until very recently equipped with US arms, or why it would strike a coalition base housing Iraqi troops.
Meanwhile, a new group – Ausbat al-Thaayirin, who claimed responsibility for the March 11th attack that killed 3 US marines and a British military nurse.
At least 25 rocket attacks, unleashing more than 160 individual rockets, have hit US bases in Iraq since October 2019.
And the US reportedly plans to withdraw its troops from several positions in Iraq – Qayara Airfield West and Kirkuk.
Qayara was the base used in the US-backed operation to take back Mosul from IS. Both bases have been hit by rocket attacks in recent months. A US contractor was killed in a rocket attack at Kirkuk on December 28th.
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Like I have said before, the worst nightmare the dumbass demoralized Americunt coward scum and their NATO arselickers created for themselves was the totally counter-productive and illegal assassination of the soldier’s general and diplomat Qassem Soleimani, who was a cautious leader compared to the hardened men who now run the Sepah and PMU brigades. The Iraqis now loath the child killing Americunt cowards and it is the Iraqi army that is launching these almost hourly attacks.
You know back when Iraqi army was trying to fight ISIS and was always compromised by US that was feeding intel to ISIS – Iraqis should return the favour and feed accurate intel to the insurgent groups trying to free Iraq of US occupation. I’m not sure they need to anyway…
bing bang bong hahahaha
Do not stop until NATO occupation stops. Start with the less brainwashed europeans and let them know they are better off going back to where they came from
Exactly! Keep resisting the Evil Empire! Kick them out of your country!
try again and then try yet again – 2 km is too far away and the rockets need to be far more precise and hit the embassy and the yankeetwats right between the eyes so they never recover and if they can get a pot shot at grenell in berlin as well it would be great.