Iranian-supported Iraqi militias injured two U.S. troops at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq in an attack this weekend.
These militias have now carried out more than 150 attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria who are stationed there to assist in the campaign to defeat the Islamic State since mid-October. Dozens of U.S. troops have been injured during these attacks, while two U.S. troops and one Iraqi soldier were injured in the Saturday attack, which Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh described on Monday as “a larger scale attack than we have seen before.”
The two troops were treated for traumatic brain injuries, but both have since returned to duty, Singh added. No U.S. soldier has been killed in any of these attacks.
“Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement, which noted that the attack included “multiple ballistic missiles and rockets.”
It’s not the first time the Iraqi militias have used ballistic missiles during the conflict, but it’s rare.
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The U.S. military carried out precision strikes against Iraqi militias’ facilities on Nov. 22, which CENTCOM said were “in direct response” to attacks against U.S. forces the day before, which included the “use of close-range ballistic missiles.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. targeted and killed Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, also known as Abu-Taqwa. He was the leader of Harakat-al-Nujaba.
