US Forces in Iraq Targeted Again

For the second time in three days, American troops on Wednesday were the target of a hostile attack in Iraq, as six rockets were fired at a United States deployment in Erbil International Airport in the country’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. No casualties were reported in the incident, which a spokesman for the US-led coalition said is under investigation. While no group claimed responsibility for the strike, Kurdish authorities, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, blamed it on an Iran-backed fighter group that is an official part of the Iraqi army. Two of the militia’s commanders were reportedly arrested by the military following the attack. The incident came hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi attempted to reassure foreign diplomatic missions of their safety, promising to prosecute rogue forces that seek to “destabilize” Iraq. The US in recent days has prepared to pull its representatives from Iraq after repeated bombings and strikes on the diplomatic compound in Baghdad. Earlier this week, an errant rocket that was launched at American forces near the capital’s airport killed seven Iraqi family members, including women and children.