US troops targeted in Iraq rocket attacks escape unharmed

BAGHDAD: US troops stationed at two bases in Iraq have been targeted with rocket attacks that caused no casualties, US and Iraqi military sources said on Friday, against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

“We can confirm a rocket attack on US and coalition forces at the Baghdad diplomatic support centre, near the Baghdad international airport, occurred Friday at approximately 2:50 am” (2350 GMT Thursday), a Pentagon official said.

“Initial assessments indicate two rockets were fired. One was intercepted by a counter-rocket system and the other impacted an empty storage facility. There were no casualties reported,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An Iraqi security official had earlier told AFP that three Katyusha rockets struck near a base of the international coalition close to Baghdad airport. An Iraqi military source said there were no casualties in the attack and material damage was “being assessed”.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. On Thursday evening, another rocket attack targeted the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq, where US forces are also stationed, an Iraqi military source said.