Three Katyusha rockets land near Baghdad International Airport, Iraqi army says

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Three Katyusha rockets hit the vicinity of Baghdad’s International Airport early on Wednesday, causing no casualties or physical damage, according to the Iraqi army.

The rocket attacks come as Iraq faces a renewed security challenge at the hands of the so-called Islamic State following its territorial defeat in 2017. The recent resurgence in attacks in Iraq’s central provinces shows a slow come back by the group as the country direly grapples with the global COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout that hugely reduced Iraq’s mainly oil-dependent revenue.

The rocket attacks reportedly hit the vicinity of the airport, targeting a military complex housing American troops and diplomatic personnel, without any casualties or physical damages, the army said.

The assault marks the resumption of rocket attacks after its halt since late March.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

As part of a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority has halted traffic airlines since mid-March across the country, including in the Kurdistan Region.

The US military bases in Iraq have been the primary target of rocket attacks following a US drone strike that killed Iran’s major general Qassim  Soleimani alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy director of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in the vicinity of Baghdad airport in January.

Since then, the pro-Iran militia groups have vowed to oust all American military bases in Iraq. The pressure led to a parliamentary vote to expel the 5,200 US troops in the country who provide training to the Iraqi forces.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany