Three rockets landed early Sunday, February 16, near the US embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi military command said. At the same time, a rocket caused property damage in "A Hachd Al-Chaabi logistics support center", a coalition of pro-Iran paramilitaries now integrated into the security forces, said the military command. Its press release does not specify whether the rocket attacks on these two zones, which are several kilometers apart, are part of the same salvo or not.
The American-led anti-jihadist coalition has confirmed "Impacts of small rockets" on Union-III, the officially Iraqi base near the American embassy where the command and many troops of the international coalition are based, primarily the American military. Both Iraqi military command and the coalition say no casualties have been identified.
Rocket attacks on US soldiers, diplomats and US installations in Iraq have escalated since late October. They killed an American subcontractor and an Iraqi soldier. None of the 19 attacks recorded since October 28 has been claimed, but Washington accuses the pro-Iranian armed factions of being the perpetrators.
Threats by pro-Iran factions
Tensions between Washington and Tehran, both Baghdad allies, escalated in late 2019 on Iraqi soil, leading to the assassination in Baghdad of Iranian General Ghassem Soleimani on the orders of US President Donald Trump. The Iranians responded with a shower of missiles at an Iraqi base where American soldiers are stationed, wounding a hundred.
The factions of Hachd Al-Chaabi, who lost their de facto leader in the raid against Soleimani, Abou Mehdi Al-Mouhandis, have also promised for a " revenge " against the United States. The Iraqi parliament – where the Hashd holds the second block of deputies – has already called for the expulsion of 5,200 American soldiers from the country.
One of Iraq's most radical pro-Iran factions, Noujaba, said on Saturday that "Decided to start the countdown to (Iraq's) sovereignty and the response to the US occupation forces". "We are closer than you imagine", again threatened the group, above the photo of an American tank.
