WASHINGTON: US forces were targeted at a base in western Iraq, a US defense official said on Tuesday, the second such attack on American troops after a more than two-month pause, AFP reported.
The latest attack on Al-Asad Air Base followed a weekend assault where rockets were launched from northern Iraq towards a base in Syria housing coalition forces fighting against the Islamic State group.
The spate of attacks against US troops in the Middle East began in mid-October, with over 165 incidents reported in Iraq and Syria. However, the cycle of assaults and retaliations ceased following extensive American airstrikes on armed groups’ targets in February.
The latest attack did not result in any injuries or damage, the defense official said anonymously, refraining from providing details about the nature of the assault.
Previously, a drone strike in Jordan killed three US soldiers in late January, prompting Washington to carry out strikes on several targets in Iraq and Syria. Subsequently, there was a pause in attacks until late this month.
While the majority of previous attacks were attributed to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, no group has claimed responsibility for the recent assaults.
