The Iraqi military has foiled a rocket attack on еру Ayn al-Assad airbase in the western province of al-Anbar, where hundreds of U.S. service members are stationed.
According to Brigadier General Yahya al-Rasul, a spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, a unit of the army’s 7 Division found three Grad 122mm rockets, which were attached to a timer, in the area of al-Dulab. The rockets were directed towards Ayn al-Assad airbase.
“The unit was able to stop the timer only 15 minutes before the launch,” Gen. al-Rasul said on February 2.
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The attack was likely planned by the remaining ISIS cells in al-Anbar. The terrorist group launched several attacks on Ayn al-Assad in 2014. However, the Iraqi military and the US-led coalition managed to fully secure the strategic airbase by 2015.
Last December, U.S. President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Ayn al-Assad airbase to celebrate Christmas with American troops there. The visit was widely criticized by Iraqi politicians and activists because Trump didn’t meet with any senior Iraqi official.
