Rocket hits military base near Baghdad airport: Military

Gulf Today Report

A coalition official said a Katyusha rocket hit an Iraqi military base hosting US forces near Baghdad's international airport on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security and military sources said two explosives-laden drones targeting an military base housing US troops in western Anbar province were destroyed on Tuesday.

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It was the second such attempted attack coinciding with the anniversary of the 2020 US airstrike that killed a top Iranian general near the Baghdad airport. On Monday, two armed drones were shot down as they headed toward a facility housing US advisors at Baghdad airport.

An unfired rocket found by the Iraqi Army. Reuters

An Iraqi military statement said it found a rocket launcher with one rocket in al-Jihad district in western Baghdad near the airport.

The sources said that nobody was hurt in the incident.

US officials have warned in recent weeks they expected an uptick in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, in part because of the second anniversary of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

According to the official, the fixed-wing drones rigged with explosives were engaged and destroyed by defensive capabilities at the Ain Al Asad airbase. An Iraqi military statement confirmed the attempted attack, saying the drones were shot down outside the parameters of the air base. The base houses troops with the US-led international coalition fighting the Daesh group in Iraq.