Iraq fires five rockets at US military base in Syria, officials say

At least five rockets were fired from the Iraqi town of Zumar to US military bases in northeastern Syria on Sunday, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters.

The attack on U.S. forces was the first since early February, when Iranian-backed groups in Iraq halted attacks on U.S. forces.

The attack came a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani concluded a U.S. visit and met with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Two security sources and a senior military officer said a pickup truck with a rocket launcher on the back was parked in the border town of Zumar with Syria.

The military official said the truck caught fire when an unfired rocket exploded as the warplanes were flying through the sky.

“Unless we investigate, we cannot confirm that the truck was bombed by U.S. warplanes,” said a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the incident.

A security official based in the town of Zamar said Iraqi security forces were deployed in the area and a manhunt was launched for the perpetrators who fled the area using another vehicle.

An army official said the truck had been impounded for further investigation and initial investigations suggested it was destroyed in the airstrike.

“We are communicating with coalition forces in Iraq to share information about the attack,” the official added.

A huge explosion rocked an Iraqi military base early Saturday, killing a member of Iraqi security forces that includes an Iranian-backed group. Force commanders called it an attack, while the military said it was investigating and that there were no warplanes in the sky at the time.