The missiles fell in northern Iraq’s Erbil, which hosts US-led coalition troops, officials say, but no casualties were reported.
Twelve ballistic missiles targeting Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), were launched from outside of Iraq, the state news agency quoted the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism as saying.
Governor Omed Khoshnaw told Erbil-based broadcaster Rudaw that there was a terror attack against the US consulate in Erbil.
Khoshnaw said security forces in the city have been on alert since right after the attack.
The missile attacks were aimed at “secret Israeli bases”, an Iranian state-TV correspondent based in Iraq said early on Sunday.
Earlier, a US official who spoke to Reuters said that the missiles were launched from Iran.
The KRG’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said: “Erbil will not bow down to cowards. I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on several places in Erbil.”
He urged the people of Erbil to obey the instructions of security forces.
Moreover, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi said on his social media account that the attack targeted the safety of the people, adding that they would start investigations on the attack.
American Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, under missile attack. pic.twitter.com/w9BFN8XUZX
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) March 13, 2022
Green Zone
Two rockets targeted Baghdad’s ultra-secure Green Zone that houses the US embassy early on Sunday, Iraq’s security forces said in a statement.
“The Green Zone in Baghdad was the target of two Katyusha rockets. The first was shot down in the air by C-RAM defence batteries, the second fell in a square, damaging two vehicles,” the statement said.
A security source told AFP that the shot down rocket fell near the US embassy, while the second came down roughly 500 metres (1640 ft) away.
The US State Department reported that there were no casualties or injuries in the attack.
In recent months, dozens of rocket assaults or drone bomb attacks have targeted US troops and interests in Iraq.
The attacks are rarely claimed but are routinely pinned on pro-Iran factions in Iraq.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Dozen ballistic missiles hit northern Iraq’s Erbil
Source: Pinay Pop Showbiz
