As many as 12 missiles struck Iraq’s northern metropolis of Irbil on Sunday close to the U.S. Consulate, Iraqi safety officers stated. A U.S. protection official stated missiles had been launched on the metropolis from neighboring Iran.
No accidents had been reported. Officers in Iraq and the U.S. gave completely different accounts of the strike and the injury it triggered. A second U.S. official stated there was no injury at any U.S. authorities facility and that there was no indication the goal was the consulate constructing, which is new and unoccupied.
An Iraqi official in Baghdad at first stated a number of missiles had hit the U.S. Consulate and that it was the goal of the assault. Later, Lawk Ghafari, head of Kurdistan’s overseas media workplace, stated not one of the missiles hit the U.S. facility however that areas across the compound had been struck.
The U.S. protection official stated it was nonetheless not sure precisely what number of missiles had been fired and precisely the place they landed. Neither U.S. official was approved to debate the occasion by title and spoke to the Related Press on situation of anonymity.
The Iraqi safety officers stated there have been no instant report of casualties from the assault, which they stated occurred shortly after midnight and triggered materials injury within the space. They spoke on situation of anonymity in keeping with laws.
One of many Iraqi officers stated the ballistic missiles had been fired from Iran, with out elaborating. The U.S. officers couldn't verify the kind of missile.
The second U.S. official stated the incident was being investigated by the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdish regional authorities. The U.S. condemned what it known as an “outrageous assault towards Iraqi sovereignty and show of violence,” the official stated in an announcement.
The assault got here a number of days after an Israeli strike close to Damascus, Syria, killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran’s International Ministry strongly condemned the assault Wednesday and vowed revenge.
On Sunday, Iran’s state-run IRNA information company quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the assaults in Irbil, with out saying the place they originated.
Satellite tv for pc broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is situated close to the U.S. Consulate, went on air from its studio shortly after the assault, exhibiting shattered glass and particles on the studio ground.
A safety assertion stated Irbil was focused “with a variety of missiles” early Sunday, including that safety forces had been investigating the incident and would launch extra particulars later.
The assault got here as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal hit a “pause” over Russian calls for about sanctions concentrating on Moscow over its conflict in Ukraine.
The highest U.S. commander for the Center East has repeatedly warned in regards to the rising threats of assaults from Iran and Iranian-back militias on troops and allies in Iraq and Syria.
In an interview with the Related Press in December, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie stated that whereas U.S. forces in Iraq had shifted to a noncombat position, Iran and its proxies nonetheless wished all American troops to depart the nation. In consequence, he stated, that will set off extra assaults.
The Biden administration determined in July to finish the U.S. fight mission in Iraq by Dec. 31, and U.S. forces steadily moved to an advisory position final 12 months. The troops will nonetheless present air help and different army help for Iraq’s battle towards the Islamic State terrorist group.
The U.S. presence in Iraq has lengthy been a flashpoint for Tehran, however tensions spiked after a January 2020 U.S. drone strike close to the Baghdad airport killed a prime Iranian common. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Asad Air Base, the place U.S. troops had been stationed. Greater than 100 service members suffered traumatic mind accidents within the blasts.
Extra not too long ago, Iranian proxies are believed accountable for an assassination try late final 12 months on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi.
And officers have stated they imagine Iran was behind the October drone assault on the army outpost in southern Syria the place American troops are primarily based. No U.S. personnel had been killed or injured within the assault.
Kadhimi tweeted: “The aggression which focused the pricey metropolis of Irbil and unfold concern amongst its inhabitants is an assault on the safety of our folks.”
Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semiautonomous Kurdish-controlled area, condemned the assault. In a Fb publish, he stated Irbil “won't bow to the cowards who carried out the terrorist assault.”
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