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(NewsNation) — A suspected rocket attack has struck Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq, where U.S. and coalition forces are stationed. The incident has resulted in injuries to several U.S. personnel, a Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to NewsNation.
“Initial indications are that several U.S. personnel were injured,” the spokesperson said. The full extent of the injuries and the exact number of affected personnel remain unclear at this time.
Military officials at the base are conducting a damage assessment following the attack to determine the scope of the incident and any potential structural damage to the facility.
A White House official confirmed President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack.
In recent weeks, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have resumed launching attacks on bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria after a lull of several months after a strike on a base in Jordan killed three American soldiers in late January, prompting a series of retaliatory U.S. strikes.
Between October and January, an umbrella group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had regularly claimed attacks that it said were in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza and were aimed at pushing U.S. troops out of the region.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
