Overnight attacks target US centre at Baghdad airport: Security officials
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BAGHDAD - Eight overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad’s International Airport, an Iraqi security official told AFP on March 22.
Several waves of departures from the US facility occurred on March 21 from the airport, according to another Iraqi security source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones, targeted the US centre,” the senior security official told AFP, adding that “some rockets landed near the base”.
A second security official said there had been at least six strikes, with a police source saying a rocket launcher was discovered in a Baghdad district near the airport.
The US diplomatic and logistics hub is located in the international airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the war in the Middle East on Feb 28.
Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.
An umbrella movement known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility early on March 22 for 21 drone and rocket attacks carried out in the past 24 hours “against the bases of the occupier” in Iraq and the Middle East.
The group has long demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
Following a string of attacks, the US embassy in Baghdad was not targeted for a fourth consecutive night, after influential Iran-backed armed group Kataeb Hezbollah pledging on March 19 – under certain conditions – to cease attacks for five days.
Asked by AFP about the withdrawal of personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan, a State Department spokesperson said the mission “remains open while on ordered departure”.
“Our team in Iraq continues to review all needed actions to promote the safety of US government personnel and facilities,” they added. AFP