Rocket attack on Ain al-Assad kills a U.S civilian contractor

And Agence France-Presse quoted security sources as saying that a civilian contractor died of heart failure following the missile attack on the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq.

A security source told the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "the Ain al-Assad base in Anbar province was attacked this morning with ten missiles as a preliminary outcome."

While the spokesman for the International Coalition, Wayne Maruto, said in a tweet: "Ten missiles targeted an Iraqi military base, Ain Al-Assad base, which includes coalition forces, on March 3, 2021 at approximately 7:20 am (Iraqi time)."

Maruto added, in the tweet, that "the Iraqi security forces are leading the investigation" into the attack, noting that "more information will be announced when it becomes available."

In the same context, the spokesman for the Iraqi joint operations, Tahsin al-Khafaji, said that "10 (Grad) missiles were launched towards the Ain Al-Assad base in Anbar."

Security sources told Al-Hurra correspondent that 14 missiles targeted the base, indicating that it includes two separate wings, one for the Iraqi side (from Al-Jazeera and the seventh division) and the other part of the International Coalition Forces against ISIS/ Daesh.

The sources confirmed that the sound of explosions and the rise of smoke from the vicinity of the base, in addition to hearing the sound of warning sirens inside the base at the moment of the missiles' landing.

According to the sources, the rockets were launched from the Al-Bayader area, which is an agricultural area located on the main road between Hit and Al-Baghdadi, according to the Al-Hurra correspondent.

This attack comes two days before Pope Francis' historic visit to Iraq, which is a reminder of the logistical difficulties surrounding it, especially with the spread of a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and amid measures to combat it.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

T/S

ANHA