Rocket attack on Iraqi base kills US civilian contractor, multiple servicemen injured

RT
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 22:17 UTC

© Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images

An American civilian contractor was killed and several service members lightly wounded when several rockets struck an Iraqi military base near Kirkuk, US officials confirmed on condition of anonymity.

The Iraqi military confirmed earlier that multiple service members, including a US contractor and an Iraqi federal police officer, were wounded when "a number of missiles" struck a munitions storage facility in K1 military base on Friday evening.

According to one official, the rockets hit as a "major" mission was getting underway. K1 is located just northwest of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, while Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist are actively operating in the area using insurgency-style tactics - all recent rocket attacks on bases housing American troops have been pinned, absent any evidence, on "Iranian proxies."

Washington's latest load of sanctions against Tehran came complete with an accusation of "weapons of mass destruction proliferation," while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo several weeks ago threatened Iran with a "decisive US response" if attacks against American interests in Iraq continue.

Comment: Who would attack US service members and not claim the attack? Could it be a country wanting to escalate tensions by elevating US reactions against Iran? War by deception comes to mind.

According to Times of India, 28/12/2019: Rocket attacks kill US contractor

In Friday's attack, a Kirkuk provincial security official told AFP, 'the shots were very accurate. The attack was aimed precisely at the area where the Americans are located, near the meeting room." The rockets could also have been much more deadly, had it not been for recent poor weather that has led to delays in anti-IS operations and the postponement of a meeting scheduled for Friday on these missions, according to Iraqi police.

A US source has said that pro-Iran factions in Iraq are now considered a more significant threat to American soldiers than the IS.