Multiple rockets hit ‘inside’ Iraq’s Taji base housing US troops – reports

Several rockets have exploded within – or close to – the Camp Taji military base located north of Baghdad, according to multiple media reports. The facility, housing US troops, has repeatedly come under attacks lately.

A number of unguided rockets were fired at the military facility late on Saturday. At least two loud blasts were heard in the area of the camp, local media reported.The projectiles fell either close to, or within the premises of the base. There were no immediate reports of potential damage to the base or personnel.

The Camp Taji, located some 27km (17 miles) north of the Iraqi capital, has been repeatedly targeted by unknown assailants over the past few months. The worst incident occurred in early March, when two US and one British soldier were killed at the base, while a dozen other personnel, including local troops, were injured.

Military compounds, housing US troops, have been frequently targeted by unguided rocket fire this year. The escalation followed the US assassination of a top Iranian official, Major General Qassem Soleimani and deputy commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militia Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis by a drone strike at Baghdad’s airport in early January.

Apart from kickstarting the chain of attacks on the US bases, the assassination also prompted the Iraqi Parliament to call upon the US to withdraw its troops from the country. While Washington was quick to refuse to do so, the US military has already abandoned several bases across Iraq since then.

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