US military personnel injured after ballistic missile attack by Iran-backed militants on airbase in Iraq

A number of United States military personnel were injured after a ballistic missile attack by Iran-backed militants hit Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, on Saturday (Jan 20), saidUS officials. This comes amid dozens of attacks against the US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria deployed to fight jihadists of the Islamic State group.

Several US military personnel, one Iraqi injured

According to a statement by the US military’s Central Command, the Al Asad airbase which also hosts American troops came under attack by Iran-backed militia with ballistic missiles and rockets on Saturday evening.

While air defence systems intercepted most of the projectiles, “others impacted on the base”, said the statement.

WATCH |US central command confirms Saturday's strike on Houthi targets

The attack resulted in minor injuries,but it was not immediately clear how many military personnel were wounded.

“A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries,” said the CENTCOM, in the statement.

At least one Iraqi service member was wounded in the attack, it added.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack on the base. The group, according to the US-based Washington Institute for Near East Policy, comprises several Iran-affiliated armed groups operating in Iraq and emerged in late 2023.

US hits another Houthi anti-ship missile

The attack also came after the US forces launched a fresh strike on the Iran-backed Yemen-based Houthi rebels targeting an anti-ship ballistic missile, which according to the US army, was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and prepared to launch.

“US forces determined the missile presented a threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region, and subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense,” said the CENTCOM, in a statement, on X.

US forces in Iraq and Syria operating as part of the coalition to defeat ISIS, have witnessed a number of attacks since October last year, when a war broke out betweenIsrael and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

There are fears of the situationescalating further withHouthis enteringinto the fray by attacking ships in the Red Sea.

Earlier on Friday (Jan 19), US Central Command forces conducted strikes against three Houthi anti-ship missiles that they said were aimed at the Southern Red Sea.

(With inputs from agencies)