More Rockets Fired at Iraq Base, Continuing US-Iran Tit-for-Tat

Around a dozen rockets hit an American military base north of Baghdad March 14 in a rare daytime attack. Preliminary reports suggest that at least two Iraqi soldiers were injured. The rockets hit an airstrip and an area housing coalition personnel. A U.S. Army spokesman, Col. Myles Caggins III, confirmed Saturday’s attack, saying three coalition troops were wounded.

This was the second attack in four days at Camp Taji. On March 11, Two Americans and a British soldier were killed when an Iranian-backed group fired about 18 rockets at the base. In addition to the three fatalities, about a dozen other individuals on the base were wounded. In response to that attack, the U.S. launched airstrikes against weapons facilities operated by Kata’eb Hezbollah; the Shia group said to be responsible.

Iraqi officials claim the U.S. retaliatory strikes killed a civilian and five security force personnel in addition to wounding five militia fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – a coalition of militia groups working with Iraqi security forces. Some of the groups associated with PMF are backed by Iran, according to a report from Military Times.

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