The US State Department said, on Wednesday, that the attacks on Iraqi bases reflect the threat posed by Iranian-backed militias to the sovereignty and stability of Iraq.
Unidentified persons attacked the Ain al-Assad base, which is affiliated with the Iraqi army, by firing 14 missiles, which the international coalition said fell in the vicinity of the base, while the Iraqi Security Media Cell revealed that a number of missiles exploded during the launch, damaging a mosque and nearby homes.
The Pentagon spokeswoman, Jessica McNulty, confirmed to The Eastern Herald that two US soldiers were among the wounded in the attack on the Ain Al-Assad base.
The gunmen used a truck loaded with flour and parked it near a mosque in the Al-Baghdadi area in Al-Qaim. The explosion of the missiles damaged the mosque and set the truck on fire.
The bombing came after the Erbil International Airport, in northern Iraq, was targeted by booby-trapped drones, which “did not cause damage,” according to McNulty and the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Service.
The Iraqi authorities described the targeting as a “new terrorist attack”, and described the perpetrators as “the deep-rooted enemies of Iraq who target the country’s security and sovereignty, and the safety of citizens.”
During its statements, the Foreign Ministry indicated that the seventh round of talks in Vienna would take place at the appropriate time, and confirmed that the American team would be ready to travel to complete it.
The Foreign Ministry also pointed out that the Doha talks between the parties in Afghanistan are still ongoing, and “we welcome the invitation of Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations to host a conference on Afghanistan.”
The ministry stressed that “Afghanistan’s neighbors have a responsibility to support the intra-Afghan peace process.”
With regard to the Lebanese issue, the Foreign Ministry stressed the need for the Lebanese leaders to show flexibility to form a government that implements reforms to save the deteriorating economy.
