Published
3 years agoon
AIN AL-ASAD BASE, Iraq — U.S. troops cleared rubble and debris from a military base housing American soldiers in western Iraq on Monday, days after it was struck by a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles in a major escalation between the two longtime foes.
Related Story: Iran: Missiles Fired at Iraqi Air Base Housing US Troops
The Iranian attack was in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike near Baghdad airport that killed a top Iranian commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, prompting angry calls to avenge his slaying.Rubble and debris are seen at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. Ain al-Asad air base was struck by a barrage of Iranian missiles on Wednesday, in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed atop Iranian commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose killing raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Qassim Abdul-Zahra)
It was struck by Iranian missiles on Wednesday in Iran’s most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The proxy attack raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East although both sides have since then indicated that neither side would seek further retaliation, at least in the short term.
This satellite image provided on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, by Middlebury Institute of International Studies and Planet Labs Inc. shows the damage caused from an Iranian missile strike at the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. Iran’s actions were in response to the U.S. killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani. (Planet Labs Inc./Middlebury Institute of International Studies via AP)
The Ain al-Asad air base was first used by American forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, and later saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Related Story: US Dismisses Iraq Request to Work on a Troop Withdrawal Plan
“I had zero casualties and everybody is alive to tell the tale. So as far as I’m concerned, I couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t be prouder of the actions that the soldiers and the coalition forces took that night,” she added.GOP Lawmaker Calls for Military Presence in Mexico After Americans Killed
3 Active-Duty Marines Charged in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot
‘What Madness Looks Like’: Russia Intensifies Bakhmut Attack
Twin Suicide Bombings Rock Central Baghdad, at Least 32 Dead
Pelosi Asks Top General About Curbing Trump’s Military Power
Relative of Blackwater Victim in Iraq Says Pardons ‘Unfair’