Iranian missiles made contact with al Asad Airbase in Western Iraq on Saturday, injuring some U.S. personnel stationed there, according to U.S. Central Command.
“Damage assessments are ongoing,” CENTCOM wrote in its announcement of the attack. “A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.”
A majority of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense system, according to CENTCOM. This is at least the 58th time Iranian-backed militants have attacked the U.S. military in Iraq since Hamas launched its attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Additionally, U.S. military targets have been struck 83 times in Syria, also by Iran-backed militants. The last time these militants launched an attack on Iraq and Syria was during a simultaneous mission five days ago. Iran’s guards claimed the targets were “espionage centers and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups,” but the Governor of Erbil, Iraq, referred to the missile strikes as a terrorist attack.
There are some 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and another 900 in Syria. They are stationed to assist local forces in the case that the Islamic State seizes control of either country, as it did in 2014.
