A US coalition military base in Iraq has come under rocket fire, five days after President Biden retaliated for a previous strike with air raids on Iranian-backed Shia militias in neighbouring Syria.
A volley of ten missiles this morning hit the Ain al-Asad base in Anbar, western Iraq. The Iraqi military and the US-led coalition, which share the base, were still assessing the damage early afternoon local time, but said a civilian contractor had died apparently of a heart attack.
The Vatican insisted that the rocket attacks would not deter the Pope,
who is due to make his first visit to Iraq on Friday.
The visit has already been criticised given the prevalence of coronavirus in the country, and fears that services led by Pope Francis might turn into “super-spreader” events.
“The day after tomorrow, God willing, I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage,” the Pope said in his weekly address today. “For a long time I have wanted to meet these people who have suffered so much.”
Two contractors were killed in a strike two weeks ago against a similar combined base in northern Iraq, outside the Kurdish city of Arbil, which was blamed on Iraqi Shia militias. In response, Biden ordered the bombing of warehouses belonging to what the Pentagon said were the same militias just over the border with Syria, where they are also operating.
Iran denied direct responsibility for the attack, but the exchange has led to a worsening of relations between Washington and Tehran, which had been expected to improve after Biden said he wanted to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal.
After the Syria strike, Iran refused an offer to join preliminary, informal talks on the nuclear programme hosted by the European Union, saying the US had to lift sanctions before it would respond. It has also continued to increase the capabilities of its programme beyond the limits set by the deal, and begun restricting full access to inspectors from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency.
The rocket attack this morning was confirmed by a spokesman for the international coalition, whose troops were sent to Iraq in 2014 to help the fight against Islamic State.
Since then, their presence has divided Iraqi politics into pro-western and pro-Iranian factions, the latter of which are demanding the removal of western forces. The US has drawn down its number of troops to about 2,500, with Britain having between 150 and 200 troops in the country, but both say Isis still poses a threat.
Washington is also keen not to allow Iraq to fall entirely under the security umbrella of its powerful and anti-western neighbour, Iran.
The rocket attacks may have a domestic purpose. The Iraqi prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, is under pressure to crack down on the militias, who are also being blamed for the murders of activists in Iraq’s restive southern cities where there have been demonstrations against government corruption and Iranian influence.