ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Top military spokesperson Yehia Rasool has slammed rocket and drone attacks on bases in Erbil and Anbar after a flurry of attacks across Iraq in the past few days.
“Once again, the enemies of Iraq are intrusive and targeting the country’s security and sovereignty, and the safety of citizens through a new terrorist attack on Erbil Airport and the Ain al-Assad airbase that belongs to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense,” tweeted Rasool, who speaks on behalf of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
“They have returned to targeting the headquarters of diplomatic missions that fall under the protection of the state which represents a flagrant violation of all laws,” he added, saying the Iaqi government will pursue "the prosecution of those who violate the law."
An explosives-laden drone hit Erbil International Airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops, late on Tuesday, causing a fire at the site but no casualties or physical damage. It came less than 24 hours after an "airborne threat" was shot down over the US embassy in Baghdad.
The day before, three rockets hit Ain al-Asad airbase.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, head of the United Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI), described the attacks as “an affront to the rule of law.”
Hours before Rasool’s statement, bases in Iraq and Syria were both hit by rockets and drones. Ain al-Asad was hit by fourteen rockets, according to coalition spokesperson Col. Wayne Marotto.
Attacks on Iraqi bases, especially those hosting US troops, have increased since the US assassinated top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad in January 2020.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)