US base in Iraq comes under rocket attack

The two rockets landed in the evening in the Ayn al-Asad Air Base near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of the capital Baghdad, causing no casualties, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had confirmed on Dec. 29, 2021 the end of the combat mission of the US-led coalition forces in the country.

Ahmed al-Dulaimi, a colonel from Anbar Operations Command, told Xinhua that the Iraqi forces found two rocket launchers several km from the air base and the incident is under investigation.

Over the past few months, Iraqi security forces have carried out deadly attacks against militants to crack down on their intensified activities.

The security situation in Iraq has improved after Iraqi forces defeated the Islamic State (IS) militant group in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.