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Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi chairs an emergency Iraqi National Security Council meeting on June 16, 2020. Photo via Twitter
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has called on national security forces to intensify their efforts to “hold to account” the perpetrators of the recent series of rocket attacks in Baghdad, and prevent further attacks.
Kadhimi led an emergency meeting at the Iraqi National Security Council on Tuesday after three rockets landed in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, which hosts US troops and diplomats.
“The Council directed Iraq’s security forces to intensify their intelligence gathering operations, take the necessary measures to prosecute the perpetrators of recent rocket attacks in Baghdad, and to take action to prevent any recurrence,” the Iraqi government tweeted on Tuesday.
Three Katyusha rockets landed close to Baghdad International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday morning, an official Iraqi military media source announced – the third such incident at a site of international importance in the Iraqi capital in just eight days.
No casualties were reported after the rockets hit "the vicinity of Baghdad Airport," according to the Tuesday statement from Iraqi Security Media Cell.
The attack has not yet been claimed by any group, but the US has attributed past rocket attacks on sites of American or international interest to Iran-backed militias who it says are looking to further inflame US-Iran tensions.
The airport hosts an American military base, as well as the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, a branch of the US embassy which has been subject to repeated rocket fire in recent years. Rockets have now landed in the airport's vicinity twice in the space of eight days, after a similar incident on June 8.
The US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone has also been subject to two rocket attacks this past month, the most recent occurring last Thursday.
Iraqi army bases hosting US-led Coalition troops have also been the target of rocket attacks suspected to have been launched by Iran-backed militias.
Kadhimi led an emergency meeting at the Iraqi National Security Council on Tuesday after three rockets landed in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, which hosts US troops and diplomats.
“The Council directed Iraq’s security forces to intensify their intelligence gathering operations, take the necessary measures to prosecute the perpetrators of recent rocket attacks in Baghdad, and to take action to prevent any recurrence,” the Iraqi government tweeted on Tuesday.
Three Katyusha rockets landed close to Baghdad International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday morning, an official Iraqi military media source announced – the third such incident at a site of international importance in the Iraqi capital in just eight days.
No casualties were reported after the rockets hit "the vicinity of Baghdad Airport," according to the Tuesday statement from Iraqi Security Media Cell.
The attack has not yet been claimed by any group, but the US has attributed past rocket attacks on sites of American or international interest to Iran-backed militias who it says are looking to further inflame US-Iran tensions.
The airport hosts an American military base, as well as the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, a branch of the US embassy which has been subject to repeated rocket fire in recent years. Rockets have now landed in the airport's vicinity twice in the space of eight days, after a similar incident on June 8.
The US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone has also been subject to two rocket attacks this past month, the most recent occurring last Thursday.
Iraqi army bases hosting US-led Coalition troops have also been the target of rocket attacks suspected to have been launched by Iran-backed militias.
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