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Several US soldiers wounded in attack on military base in Iraq

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By Deutsche Welle

06 Aug 2024, 09:41 AM EDT

Several US soldiers were injured in a Rocket attack on Al Asad airbase in Iraqand US President Joe Biden was informed of the event, which occurs at a time of extreme tension in the Middle East due to fear of retaliation from Iran and its satellites against Israel, authorities reported on Monday (05.08.2024).

According to Defense sources reported to The Washington Post and CNN, Several US soldiers were injured in the attackbut they are still conducting a post-attack assessment to clarify what happened.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack during a meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East, which is under high tension after Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah promised to respond to the murders attributed to Israel.

They vowed to respond to the killings of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in a bombing in Beirut, which has been acknowledged by the Israeli government.

Four missiles

The Islamic Resistance militia group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for launching four missiles against the air base of the US-led international coalition in Ain al-Assad, in the west of the Arab country, which did not cause material or human damage, after months without launching hardly any attacks.

In a brief statement, Pro-Iranian Iraqi militias claimed that “the occupied Ain al-Assad base was attacked” and reiterated their intention to “continue destroying enemy strongholds at an accelerated pace,” without providing further details.

The United States has long been under attack in the region by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, with attacks on its bases resulting in the deaths of three of its soldiers on the Jordanian-Syrian border in January.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi security source from Anbar province told EFE that “the Ain al Asad air base, in the west of the province, was attacked this afternoon by four Katyusha missiles.”

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