Rocket attacks on US targets spark fresh fears of Middle East conflict

Two Katyusha rockets landed near the outside perimeter of Baghdad International Airport last night two days after four rockets struck a base near the airport, wounding five members of Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service. They were the latest in a spate of rocket strikes in the past five weeks on military installations hosting members of the US-led coalition whose objective is to defeat ISIS insurgents.

And they come amid growing fears that such attacks are pushing all sides closer to an uncontrollable escalation and possible full-scale military conflict in the strife-torn region.

A senior US military official said the attacks were jeopardising the coalition’s ability to effectively combat ISIS.

And tension between the US and Iran has ramped up in the region over US economic sanctions that are hitting Tehran hard.

The two sides have traded blame over attacks on oil installations, militia arms depots as well as military bases hosting US forces.

The senior official said: “We’re used to harassing fire but the pace of that was previously pretty episodic.

“Now the level of complexity is increasing, the volume of rockets being shot in a single volley is increasing and is very concerning to us.

“There is a point at which their actions change things on the ground and make it more likely that some other actions, some other choices made – by somebody, whether it’s them or us – will escalate unintentionally.”

READ MORE:Iran threat: ‘Another provocative attack’ feared for US and Israel

The military official said Iranian-armed militias were approaching a red line where the coalition would respond with force, and “no one will like the outcome”.

There have been no claims of responsibility for any of the attacks.

But he US military official said intelligence and forensic analyses of the rockets and launchers pointed to Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim militia groups, notably Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH).

He said: “It’s very concerning to me. That it’s acceptable that we’re getting attacked by

elements that are supposedly being brought in under the heel of the Iraqi government as part of its security forces.”

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned last month under pressure from mass anti-government protests.

He is currently carrying out his duties in a caretaker capacity.

Militia groups used a converted flatbed truck to launch a barrage of 17 rockets on the Qayyara military base south of Mosul on November 8.

Th attack caused no major damage or loss of life but the technique was repeated in attacks on both Balad and

Ain Al-Asad air bases last week, using rockets large enough to cause significant damage to living compounds and runways at Ain al-Asad.

The recent attacks near Baghdad airport featured significantly larger 240mm rockets not known to have been used in Iraq since 2011.

source: express.co.uk