4 rockets fired at Iraq's Balad Airbase: Security Cell

The Cell attributed the attacks to "acts of criminal terrorist gangs" without elaborating on their identity.

Kurdistan 24 2022/03/18 10:41

An Iraqi Air Force F-16IQ Viper fighter jet parked at Balad Airbase in Saladin province. (Photo: AFP)

Iraq Iraq Saladin Balad Airbase rocket attack

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – At least four rockets were fired at Balad Airbase in the Iraqi Saladin province north of Baghdad on Thursday, according to the Iraqi army.

The rockets were launched from Khalis district towards the base, which is one of the biggest airfields in the country, according to a statement from the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

The military facility did not suffer any damage, Maj. General Thiya Mohsin Sa'd, the base commander, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) late Thursday.

The base is home to Iraq's F-16 fighter jets. These jets are regularly used for airstrikes against ISIS hideouts in remote parts of the north and west of the country.

The Cell attributed the attacks to "acts of criminal terrorist gangs" without elaborating on their identity.

The attack came four days after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired 12 ballistic missiles at the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil, causing substantial damage to a civilian residence and the Kurdistan 24 headquarters' building nearby.

Explosives-laden drones and rocket attacks on airbases and diplomatic missions in the country are usually claimed by shadowy groups believed to be affiliated with Iran.