SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The rocket attack on Balad air base that houses U.S. contractors was a “terrorist act,” the Iraqi military said late on Sunday.
At least five rockets hit the Iraqi military air base at Balad north of Baghdad on Sunday night, Iraqi Security Media Cell said in a statement.
Two Iraqis soldiers were wounded in the attack, it added.
Security officials told Reuters that the Katyusha rockets had fallen on the area of the base that hosts U.S. contractors, and that no casualties had been reported among them.
The rockets were launched from Dujma area in the district of al-Khalis, according to the Iraqi military.
“These heinous acts targeting our military installations will face a severe response from our heroic Iraqi Security Forces,” the military said.
“They are considered as an act of terrorism,” it added.
No group immediately claimed the attack, but armed groups that some Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran have claimed similar incidents in the past.
American officials have blamed Iranian-backed militias for regular rocket attacks aimed at U.S. facilities in Iraq, including the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
On Friday, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy said attacks on the U.S. and Coalition troops would not be tolerated.
“We are united in our view that attacks on U.S. and Coalition personnel and facilities will not be tolerated and reiterate our steadfast commitment to the fight against ISIS,” they said, using an acronym for Islamic State.
