The top military commander in Iraq, on Sunday (21/1), visited a military base in western Iraq that was attacked by Iran-backed militias last Saturday (20/1).
The Iran-backed militia launched a missile attack on Saturday on the al Asad air base in western Iraq, which is used by the US military, wounding several US personnel, military officials said.
“We emphasize to our officers and ranking soldiers to always be alert, careful, and on combat alert for 24 hours,” said Lt. Gen. Shihab Jahid Ali, Commander of the Iraqi Air Force during the visit.
The visit was “to follow up on the condition of the army’s training, combat readiness and defense positions,” said a statement issued by the Iraqi Defense Ministry.
A coalition of militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has launched regular attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, announced the attack in a statement.
A US defense official confirmed an attack involving “several projectiles” fired at the base and said several US personnel suffered minor injuries and one member of the Iraqi security forces suffered serious injuries.
An Iraqi military official said 12 missiles were fired at the base, of which four were shot down and eight others fell inside the base. (ps/rs)