U.S. troops wounded in major attack on airbase in Iraq

Ain al-Asad airbase in the Anbar Governorate in western Iraq – North Press
Ain al-Asad airbase in the Anbar Governorate in western Iraq – North Press

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – U.S. officials said on Saturday that American troops were wounded in a major rocket attack on a military base in Iraq.

U.S. troops suffered minor injuries in the attack on the Ain al-Asad Airbase, the officials said, adding that one member of Iraq’s security forces also sustained serious injuries.

The base was targeted with multiple rockets hours after an Israeli airstrike killed five members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria.

Only 2,500 U.S. troops have remained in Iraq since 2021, merely in an advisory role, whereas there are 900 soldiers in Syria focused on fighting the Islamic State (ISIS).

On Jan. 14, CBS Philadelphia reported that the U.S. is sending 1,500 American troops from New Jersey to the Middle East as part of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) to join the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq have been regularly subjected to attacks by Iranian-backed militias.

By Stella Youssef