A volley of rockets aimed at a U.S. airliner in Iraq’s Kurdistan region has killed a foreign civilian contractor and injured nine others including Americans in the worst attack in a year on the military-led coalition. SA.
The rockets were launched late Monday from an area south of the capital Erbil near the border with Kirkuk province and also crashed on some residential areas near the airport, officials said on condition that urra.
The blockade was the first in nearly two months that Western military or diplomatic bases were targeted in Iraq after a series of similar incidents last year.
The rare attack on Erbil was claimed by a small, well-known Shia group called Awliyaa al-Dam, or Guardians of Blood.
About a dozen such groups have cropped up in the past year attacking rockets, but U.S. and Iraqi security officials say they are opposition groups for prominent anti-Iran groups, Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
“The American post will not be safe from our strikes in any inch of the home country, even in Kurdistan, where we promise to do other quality work,” the Awliyaa al-Dam said, according to Group Information SITE, an NGO that monitors the online activity of armed groups.
The United States reacted angrily to the base attack outside the international airport in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-independent Kurdish region.
“We are embarrassed by the rocket attack today,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement, voting “to be accountable to those who are accountable”.
“Initial reports indicate that the attacks killed one civilian contractor and injured several members of the Confederation, including one American service member and several American contractors,” he said.
Iraqi President Barham Saleh tweeted the attack marking a “dangerous rise and an act of criminal terrorism”.
Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdish autonomous region, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms”.
‘Attack on terrorism’
Coalition defender Wayne Marotto said 14 “107mm rockets” were launched near Erbil Airport in northern Iraq and three directly hit the base. He said the contractor who was killed was not Iraq, but could not provide details about the nationality of the victim.
Update: CJTF-OIR proves around. 14 107 mm rockets launched with 3 hits inside EAB, Feb. 15 at 2130 hrs (Iraq time).
One civilian contractor was killed (Not US), and 9 were injured (8 CIV / 1 US MIL contractors) – 4 US / 1 US MIL consortium protocols.– OIR Speaker Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) February 16, 2021
The airport where foreign troops are stationed as part of an international alliance is fighting the armed group ISIL (ISIS). Flights were scheduled to be closed and stopped for safety reasons.
Since Iraq declared victory against ISIL in late 2017, the coalition has been reduced to less than 3,500 troops in total, 2,500 of whom are Americans. Most of them are based at an military base at Erbil airport.
‘Refusal of action’
Ioran said on Tuesday that he was opposed to any actions that damaged Iraqi security and denied suggestions from some Iraqi officials that he had any connection with the lesser-known group that was claim responsibility.
“Iran regards Iraq ‘s stability and security as a key issue for the… region and rejects any action that would disturb peace and order in that country,” Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’ s foreign ministry defense, told media He criticized “suspicious attempts at success [the attack] a Ioran ”.
In December 2019, a U.S. contractor was killed in a rocket attack on a base in the Kirkuk area, prompting the U.S. to respond with airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah. In March 2020, another rocket attack killed two Americans – a soldier and a contractor – and a British soldier.
Delovan Jalal, head of the local health agency, said at least five civilians were injured and one of them was in a state of emergency, the news agency said.
Barzani said he had spoken to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi “on ways to co-operate and identify the crimes behind this terrorist attack”.
“I strongly condemn tonight’s rocket attacks on Erbil. I urge all Kurdistanis to remain calm,” he tweeted.
I am critical in the strongest terms tonight of rocket attacks on Erbil. I urge all Kurdistanis to remain calm.
I have instructed security services to begin a full investigation and spoke to PM @MAKadhimi on ways to cooperate and mark the cry behind this terrorist attack -mb.
– Masrour Barzani #ابەندین # (@masrour_barzani) February 15, 2021
Western military and diplomatic sites have been targeted by dozens of rockets and roadside bomb attacks since 2019, but most of the violence has occurred in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.
Iranian-backed militia groups have been blamed for orchestrating the attacks, including Kataib Hezbollah’s group.
In October, these groups agreed to an indefinite rally, but there have been several breaches since then, the most recent of which on Monday night was a volley of rockets aimed at the U.S. embassy on Dec. 20.
The Trump-administered United States has previously blamed Iranian-backed groups for carrying out the attacks. The tension escalated after a Washington-led drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last year.
Trump had said the death of a U.S. contractor would be a red line and trigger the U.S. rise in Iraq.