U.S. Army soldiers conduct preflight checks and load cargo onto CH-47 Chinooks Aug. 27, 2023, at al Asad Air Base, Iraq. Five U.S. service members and two American contractors were injured when two rockets struck the base Aug. 5, 2024, a defense official said on Aug. 6. (Shane Hamann/U.S. Army)
Seven U.S. military personnel were injured in a rocket attack Monday on an air base in western Iraq that has been targeted repeatedly by militants in recent weeks, according to U.S. officials.
Five U.S. service members and two American contractors were injured when two rockets struck the base at about 9 p.m. local time Monday at al Asad Air Base, a defense official said Tuesday.
“Five injured personnel are receiving care at al Asad Air Base, and two have been evacuated for further care,” the official said. All seven people were in stable condition, the official added.
Damage assessments at the base were ongoing.
Monday’s assault follows at least two other attacks against al Asad. On July 25, two rockets were launched but did not strike the installation. The same day, a rocket was launched in a separate attack at Military Support Site Euphrates in Syria.
There were no injuries and no damage in either attack.
U.S. Army soldiers fire the M119A3 Howitzer during a joint artillery training exercise at al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Oct. 26, 2023. Five U.S. service members and two American contractors were injured when two rockets struck the base Aug. 5, 2024, a defense official said on Aug. 6. (Daphney Black/U.S. Army)
On July 16, al Asad came under attack by two drones, one of which struck the base and caused minimal damage. The second drone launched in the same attack was shot down. There were no injuries.
The attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria by what defense officials say are Iran-backed groups came after a lull of nearly three months. In April, there were separate attacks at Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria and near al Asad.
There are about 2,500 U.S. service members in Iraq and 900 more deployed in Syria. They are part of a coalition fighting to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State.
Last month, U.S. and Iraqi officials met in Washington to work out the details of ending the anti-ISIS mission in Iraq.
The attack Monday came after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered additional warships and a fighter squadron to the Middle East to bolster defenses in the region. The decision to move U.S. forces followed an anticipated Iranian attack in response to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Israel had pledged to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the militant group’s Oct. 7 surprise attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. The strike came just after Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran and hours after Israel targeted a top commander for the Iran-backed Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, which is now deployed in the Middle East. Other assets include deploying additional land-based ballistic missile defenses and a fighter squadron to the region.
U.S. bases in the region have been prone to attacks. After the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, Iran-linked groups launched some 175 rocket and drone strikes on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
Stars and Stripes reporter Matthew Adams contributed to this report.
