Several US troops injured in missile attack on Ain al-Asad Airbase in Iraq: Pentagon

Pentagon officials say several US service members have been injured in a ballistic missile attack against Ain al-Asad Airbase in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, where American military forces and trainers are stationed on alleged training and advisory missions.

Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement that the attack on Monday night involved a close-range ballistic missile and resulted in eight injuries and infrastructural damage. 

Ryder added that the US military responded with a strike, and an AC-130 aircraft in the area conducted an aerial assault against a vehicle and a number of people involved in this attack.

The US military conducted further “precision strikes” against two facilities in Iraq early on Wednesday morning local time, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. 

The US service members wounded in the attack are still being evaluated, a Pentagon official told CBS News.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, in a statement published on its Telegram channel claimed responsibility for the attack on Ain al-Asad Airbase.

It also claimed responsibility for the strike on the US-run facility in al-Shaddadi town, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Syria’s northwestern city of Hasakah, early on Wednesday.

The group noted that the attacks were carried out in retaliation for US support of Israel’s bloody war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

At least 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, have been killed in the atrocious Israeli onslaught. More than 33,000 individuals have sustained injuries as well.