BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – A military base in northern Iraq that hosts United States troops has been hit in a rocket attack, the latest to target Washington’s presence in the country.
Local media said the attack targeted a base near al-Harir, 70km (45 miles) northeast of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region.
It took place days before Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is expected to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday to discuss a possible full U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
“An unmanned aerial system impacted a coalition base in Kurdistan”, coalition spokesman Colonel Wayne Marotto said in a statement on Saturday.
It was the latest in a spate of attacks on U.S. military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq and Syria as anti-occupation sentiments are rife in the region.
Earlier this month, two dozen rockets were fired towards the Ain al-Assad base in western Anbar province that houses Iraqi and U.S. troops, an assault that wounded two American troops.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ha s carried out several air raids over the past few months against popular movements in Iraq, causing more hatred among the people.
The U.S. still has about 2,500 personnel deployed in Iraq out of 3,500 men in the coalition set up in 2014.
Their departure is demanded by the people in Iraq and politicians.
The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee on Friday warned it would continue the attacks unless the U.S. withdraws all its forces and ends the occupation.