The spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Yahya Rasul Abdullah, announced today, Monday, that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has directed security agencies to trace the individuals responsible for attacks on military bases hosting international coalition advisors. Abdullah emphasized, "We reject attacks targeting Iraqi bases that contain the headquarters of international coalition advisors present in Iraq at the government's official invitation."
This announcement follows an increase in rocket and drone attacks on Iraqi military bases that host American and other international forces recently. In less than a week, three military bases were attacked with Katyusha rockets and drones: Ain al-Asad base in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad International Airport, and Harir base in Erbil, northern Iraq. Iraqi security officials state that the Prime Minister has ordered enhanced preventive security measures to prevent further attacks on these three military bases that host American and international forces.
Iraqi militia groups allied with Iran have threatened to target American interests with rockets and drones if Washington intervenes to support Israel against the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza. The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 troops in neighboring Syria on a mission to provide advice and assistance to local forces in fighting the Islamic State, which seized large areas of both countries in 2014.
