The Iraqi military released a statement saying the attack did not cause significant losses and that security forces had found the launch pad used for the rockets. It was found in the al-Baghdadi area of Anbar,an Iraqi military official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the attack with the media.
It was the first attack since the US struck Iran-aligned militia targets along the Iraq-Syria border last week,killing killed one militiaman and stoking fears of a possible repeat of a series of tit-for-tat attacks that escalated last year,culminating in the US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassim Soleimani outside the Baghdad airport.
Wednesday’s attack targeted the same base where Iran struck with a barrage of missiles in January last year in retaliation for the killing of Soleimani. Dozens of US service members were injured,suffering concussions in that strike.
British Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hickey condemned the attack,saying it undermined the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group.
“Coalition forces are in Iraq to fight Daesh at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” he tweeted,using the Arabic acronym for IS. “These terrorist attacks undermine the fight against Daesh and destabilize Iraq.”
Denmark,which like the US and Britain also has troops at the base,said coalition forces at Ain al-Asad were helping to bring stability and security to the country.