BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced on Friday its forces have thwarted an attack intended to target a military base at Baghdad International Airport, Anadolu Agency reported.
“Based on precise information, the Federal Police thwarted an attack attempt that would have targeted one of the military bases in the west of Baghdad with eight grad rockets,” the Defense Ministry disclosed in a statement.
According to the statement reported by Anadolu Agency, the rockets were discovered in Al-Jihad neighborhood in the west of Baghdad, and a suspect was detained.
Operation commander, Major General Ahmed Salim, confirmed that the potential attack had intended to target Baghdad International Airport.
Over the past few months, military bases hosting U.S. troops have been targeted. Anti-American sentiments are growing in the country.
In another development, four fishermen were killed and five others injured on Saturday in an attack by Daesh terrorists at a lake in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, a local official said.
The attack took place before dawn when Daesh terrorists opened fire on fishermen at the lake of Haditha Dam near the town of Haditha, some 200 km northwest of the capital Baghdad, the town’s mayor Mabrouk al-Jughaifi told Xinhua.
The security situation in Iraq has been improving after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the Daesh terrorists across the country late in 2017. However, Daesh remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent terrorist attacks.