The strikes targeted “weapons storage and logistics headquarters facility” and “were in response to a rocket attack on U.S. personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi,” said a statement from the army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US troops in the Middle East.
“There was no damage to U.S. facilities and no injuries to U.S. or partner forces during the attack,” it added.
CENTCOM did not elaborate on when the attack on their base took place and if it inflicted casualties or material damage.
“We have made it clear that attacks on U.S. personnel, partner forces and facilities will not be tolerated and that we retain the right to defend ourselves. U.S. Central Command, alongside our regional partners, will aggressively pursue any threat to US forces, allies, partners, and security in the region,” CENTCOM stated, citing its commander General Michael Erik Kurilla.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared devoid of territorial control in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria have increased since the Palestinian Hamas group carried out a cross-border attack on southern Israel in October 2023. The pro-Iran groups accuse the US of supporting Israel in the fight against Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement - another Iran-backed group.
