Rocket Attack on Ain al-Assad Airbase in Iraq Remains Casualty-Free

Iraqi and U.S. officials have reported multiple rockets fired towards Ain al-Assad Airbase in Iraq, which houses U.S. forces, but the attacks resulted in no damage or casualties. Reuters quoted two U.S. officials stating that the rockets, launched on Thursday evening, August 4, did not hit the Ain al-Assad base itself. These rocket attacks occurred two days after a military meeting in Washington attended by Iraqi and U.S. officials. The focus of discussions at this meeting was on concluding the mission of the Iraq-U.S. military coalition after a decade since its establishment aimed at combating Islamic State (ISIS) forces. According to American and Iraqi sources, news regarding the gradual end of this military coalition's mission will be announced in the coming weeks; however, the major outcomes of this meeting have not yet been disclosed. Some Iraqi political and military factions cooperating with Iran have pressured the Iraqi government to end this military coalition as soon as possible. They have also demanded the withdrawal of all 2,500 American soldiers from Iraq, who have been stationed there since the country's occupation. Washington and the Iraqi government state that they are seeking to transition to a bilateral security relationship, which may require some of these soldiers to remain in Iraq in a military advisory role. U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, overthrowing former leader Saddam Hussein, and left Iraq in 2011, although they re-entered the country in 2014 at the head of a coalition to fight ISIS. Armed Iraqi groups supported by the Iranian government have targeted bases in Iraq and Syria housing American soldiers dozens of times since the start of the ongoing war in Gaza, although the number of these attacks has decreased since February this year following a temporary ceasefire.