Anti-U.S. Islamic group in Iraq claims credit for base attack that injured several Americans

A version of this story appeared in the daily Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each weekday.

A previously unknown Islamic resistance group in Iraq calling itself Al-Thawriun said Tuesday it was responsible for a drone and rocket attack on a base in western Iraq on Monday that injured seven U.S. troops and personnel, at a time of soaring regional tensions. The group released a statement following the strike on the Al-Asad Air Base where U.S. and other coalition forces are located.

The attack occurred as the U.S. and its allies labored to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from spreading following the recent assassinations of a top Hamas official in Tehran and a senior commander of the Iran-allied Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. Israel is thought to be behind both attacks.

Powerful Iraqi Shiite militias, also with strong ties to Iran, have long demanded the U.S. withdraw thousands of American combat troops still in the country more than two decades after the U.S.-led invasion that deposed Saddam Hussein. The Pentagon says the U.S. forces are helping to prevent a resurgence of the terror group Islamic State in the region.

“We confirm that our operations will be with advanced and continuous capabilities until the last American soldier leaves the land of our beloved Iraq,” Al-Thawriun officials said in a statement.

In recent weeks, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have resumed launching attacks on bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria after a lull of several months, following a strike on a base in Jordan in late January that killed three American soldiers and prompted a series of retaliatory U.S. strikes, The Associated Press reported.

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said Al-Asad was targeted Aug. 5 at about 9 p.m. local time. According to reports, five U.S. military personnel and two civilian contractors sustained non-life-threatening injuries, with two of the wounded evacuated for further medical treatment. Iraqi rapid response units secured the scene and quickly intercepted a Kia pickup truck carrying eight more rockets that were primed for launch, Iraqi officials in Baghdad said in a statement.

“The rockets were expertly disarmed by our engineering teams,” Iraqi officials said Tuesday. “Through rigorous intelligence and security efforts, our specialized units have successfully uncovered critical information about the attackers.”

Iraqi officials also vowed that there would be accountability for any lapses in security that allowed the militants to fire rockets at the base. Army commanders and officers, along with those responsible for the security perimeter will face a “thorough investigation,” officials said.

Pentagon officials late Monday confirmed that the base had been attacked but haven’t offered further details on the ongoing investigation. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin later spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“We agreed that the attack from Iran-aligned militias on U.S. forces stationed at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation,” Mr. Austin later said in a statement.

The U.S. defense chief said he also updated Mr. Gallant on Washington’s current plans to strengthen U.S. military assets in the region in light of the “escalating situation” there.

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said it will continue to do what is necessary to protect its security and stability.

“We will not tolerate our homeland becoming a battleground for external conflicts or the settling of scores,” the command said in a statement. “This is a clear message: Iraq’s sovereignty is inviolable, and we will exert every effort to maintain peace and stability within our borders.”