Ain al-Assad attacked due to symbolic importance: Iraqi analyst
ERBIL, KRG, Iraq (North Press) – On Sunday, Iraqi political analyst Najm al-Qassab revealed what distinguishes Ain al-Assad base from the rest of the Iraqi bases that are exposed to missile attacks, and indicated that it is the closest to targeting and the most symbolic to the Americans.
The political analyst said that Ain al-Assad base, which was attacked yesterday, Saturday, has symbolic value for the United States of America.
The Iraqi authorities began the investigation after yesterday’s attack by two drones on Ain al-Assad air base in al-Anbar Governorate ,west Iraq, which has American forces. The attack resulted in material damage, according to the US-led Global Coalition.
Security officials visited the base after the attack to assess the size of the damage and to discuss with the military authorities present there.
Earlier, the spokesman for the Global Coalition in Iraq, Colonel Wayne Marotto, said that the attack on the base did not result in any casualties, but it led to the destruction of an aircraft hangar.
He added, “An investigation has been opened about the attack on the base which has American and Iraqi forces.”
Marotto stated that every attack against the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the Coalition “undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, the rule of law, and Iraqi national sovereignty.”
Bases and airports in different regions of Iraq are exposed to missile attacks, but the most prominent are those that target Ain al-Assad.
Al-Qassab said, “Ain al-Assad base is the largest military base which former US President George Bush visited in the post-regime era.”
He pointed out that one of the main reasons that makes the base more targeted than others is ” being close to the whereabouts of the attackers, and also to those who can launch missile attacks against it.”
This base was set up in the era of the Iran-Iraq war in the 80s of the last century, north of al-Baghdadi district in Anbar Governorate in central Iraq, which is a Sunni region.
The base housed Global Coalition forces after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime until the present time.
The Iraqi analyst pointed to another matter, which is that it is located in a place with a Sunni majority, and that Sunni political parties support the presence of foreign forces in the country more than others, which means that the attacks may carry a message to them.
On December 26, 2018, former US President Donald Trump suddenly visited the base with his wife Melania to celebrate Christmas with American soldiers at the base.
The White House announced the visit several hours after Trump left, without holding official Iraqi meetings, and this caused outrage in the Iraqi political circles.
The attack that took place yesterday was the second on the base in less than a week. It was targeted with two Katyusha rockets last Tuesday, without causing any casualties, according to a statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.
The base was subjected to an aerial bombardment with ballistic missiles on the morning of January 8, 2020, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Iran officially claimed responsibility for the attack that time.
The Iranian attack came in response to the attack at Baghdad International Airport in which the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was killed, along with a group of leaders of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Baghdad, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Iraq has been witnessing Iranian-American tension in a quasi-struggle for influence, which Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is trying to avoid by activating strategic dialogue and limiting American forces’ presence to the purposes of advising and training only.
However, not all attacks are claimed by pro-Iranian militias, as investigations have not reached clear conclusions about the source of the recent attacks on the base and on the other bases in the country.
Prior to Pope Francis’ historic visit to Iraq, Ain al-Assad base was attacked by about 10 missiles with Iranian-made ammunition on March 3.