Rocket targets foreign oil workers in Iraq
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least three Iraqi workers were wounded by a rocket which landed near the operations headquarters of the US giant ExxonMobil in Basra in the early hours of Wednesday.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket fires.
The rocket targeted the Burjesia site west of the city, Reuters quoted Basra police.
The Iraqi Media War Cell said that three people were wounded in the Basra attack.
The US pulled non-essential government employees out of Iraq, suspended some services at its missions in the country last month, and warned its nationals on the risk of violence or kidnapping because of an "imminent" threat allegedly tied to Iran.
The Wednesday attack came as ExxonMobil who had pulled their staff out of Iraq, were trying to return to work in the Basra oilfields.
Exxon Mobil had pulled its foreign staff out of Basra’s West Qurna 1 oilfield in May amid fears that aggressive posturing by the United States and Iran could spark a confrontation in Iraq.
An official from the Exxon-Mobil told Rudaw that "the attack targeted the administrative office of the ExxonMobil Company" and said the rocket landed just 500 meters from their offices.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source added that the attack did not cause any casualties among staff.
He added that they will pull out 20 of their employees.
Wednesday's attack came just hours after the Nineveh Operations Command, on the eastern bank of Mosul, also came under similar rocket attacks. A number of American personnel are also stationed at the post.
"A Katyusha rocket at that was fired at 10:35 PM on the west bank of Mosul nearby Tal Afar terminal landed just outside the Nineveh Operations Command compound on the eastern bank of the city," Zuhair Araji, Mosul mayor told Rudaw early Wednesday.
He added the rocket landed outside the premises of the Nineveh Operations Command where there are American military trainers, he said.
The rocket attack did not cause any human losses, he added, explaining it is the first of its kind to occur in the city.
This week has seen several attacks in Iraq on various locations in the vicinity of where Coalition Forces are stationed.
Three other rockets were fired at the Taji Base on Tuesday night, where American troops are also based.