Published: 13:24, August 9, 2024
Iraq arrests 5 over attack on military airbase
By Xinhua
A photo of US troops arriving at the site of a bomb blast in Baghdad's Camp Sara, a mainly Christian neighborhood, Oct 4, 2006, is inserted into the scene at the same location on March21, 2023, 20 years after the US led invasion on Iraq and subsequent war. (PHOTO / AP)

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi military announced on Thursday that its forces had arrested five people suspected of involvement in an attack on the Ayn al-Asad Airbase in Iraq's western Anbar province, where US troops are stationed.

Based on investigations, Iraqi forces arrested five people under arrest warrants issued by the Iraqi judiciary, according to a statement from the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC).

READ MORE: Iraqi Shi'ite militia says it attacked US bases in Iraq, Syria

The JOC reported that the attack occurred around 9:00 pm local time (1800 GMT) on Monday when two rockets were fired at the airbase. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi forces said they had seized a truck carrying eight unfired rockets ready for launch in the town of Haditha, some 200 km northwest of the capital Baghdad.

READ MORE: Iraqi Shi'ite militia claims rocket attack on US base in Syria

In response to the attack, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the United States will not tolerate attacks on its troops in the Middle East.