Wednesday, March 11, 2020

U.S. Aircraft Attacks Militia Base In Iraq And Syria, Rocket Attack On U.S. Base


US Attacks PMF Base in Iraq, 'Unidentified Aircrafts' Carry Out Strikes in Syria



The reports come following an attack against Iraq's Taji military base, which hosts US-led coalition troops. A coalition spokesperson confirmed that three personnel were killed during the attack, with "approximately 12 additional personnel" being wounded.
US forces conducted airstrikes against an Iraqi militia base located in the Anbar province on the border with Syria, local media reported. 
Sky News Arabia specified that the attack on Iraqi soil was against a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) base.
"US aircraft conduct airstrikes against the al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia base in the area of al-Khuray village of Anbar province," the channel reported.
Along with reports from Iraq, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported that airstrikes were being carried out near a Syrian checkpoint on the border with Iraq in Deir ez-Zor's town of Abu Kamal. According to SANA, some material damage was caused by the attacks.
Syria's state Ikhbariya broadcaster noted that the strikes on Syrian soil were conductedby "unidentified aircrafts".
It is unknown whether media outlets were reporting the same airstrikes.
Earlier in the day, the US-led coalition fighting the Daesh* terrorist group said that more than 15 small rockets hit Iraq's Taji military base, which hosts its troops.



Multiple reports alleged that unidentified jets pounded the Syrian Deir ez-Zor province hours after an American soldier and a British serviceman, as well as one US military contractor were reportedly killed on Wednesday after rockets hit an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad.
Footage, depicting an alleged air raid in Syria appeared on social media. The short and shaky video shows some explosions in the distance and suggests that bombs detonated in the night. The clip, however, does not allow a precise conclusion about the region and the circumstances of the alleged air attack.

​There has been no official statement issued by any actor regarding the video.
The Wednesday attack on Iraqi military installations hosting US troops was reportedly the deadliest in several years and comes after a series of shelling assaults targeting US troops across Iraq as well as the US embassy in Baghdad. The Pentagon has reportedly blamed the Iran-backed militia for similar shellings.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington sparked with new intensity after an assassination - at the behest of US President Donald Trump - on Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani on 3 January near Baghdad. His targeted extra-judicial killing has brought the US and Iran dangerously close to open war.



US officials confirmed Wednesday that three personnel stationed at Iraq's Camp Taji were killed when more than 15 rockets landed on the base earlier in the day. Unconfirmed reports have indicated the individuals were two Americans and one British national.
statement issued by the public affairs office of Operation Inherent Resolve indicated approximately 12 additional personnel members were wounded during the strike, and that the names of the three individuals killed would be withheld in accordance with department policies.
Previous reports by Iraqi officials indicated that there were no casualties when the strike unfolded at roughly 7:35 p.m. local time.
Photos shared online by the Iraqi Security Media Cell show three undeployed missiles loaded onto a platform hitched onto the back of a small vehicle.
An investigation into the rocket attack against the base, which is located roughly 17 miles north of Baghdad, is ongoing.
The strike came as news surfaced that the US would be moving air and missile defense systems into Iraq in order to defend against ballistic missile and drone threats. That development followed two months after the Ayn al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq was struck by some 16 Iranian missiles.



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