US Forces Conduct New Airstrikes in Iraq in Response to Attacks on Troops

An MQ-9 Reaper drone flies by during a training mission at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nev., on Nov. 17, 2015. (Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

U.S. forces conducted new airstrikes against two target facilities in Iraq on Wednesday morning, following an uptick in attacks targeting U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the military command responsible for U.S. operations in the Middle East, announced on Wednesday that its personnel conducted “discrete, precision strikes” that struck two separate facilities they believe were used by Iran-backed militants.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have come under attack at least 66 separate times since Oct. 17. U.S. defense officials believe these attacks have been carried out by militia factions that have received funding, training, and potential direction from the Iranian government.

Most of these recent attacks on U.S. forces have seen the attackers fire barrages of rockets or pilot explosive-laden one-way drones toward known U.S. and Coalition positions. In total, at least 62 coalition personnel have been injured across 32 separate attacks in Iraq and 34 in Syria in the past month.

On Monday, CENTCOM assessed a group of militants who stepped up their attacks by launching an unspecified model of “close-range ballistic missile” at U.S. and coalition forces stationed at Ain Al-Asad Airbase in western Baghdad. It was the first time such a weapon was reportedly used in this recent pattern of attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

At a Tuesday press briefing, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the AC-130 gunship was already in the air at the time of the reported ballistic missile attack on Monday and was able to immediately identify the point of origin of the attack and respond with a strike that hit a suspected militia vehicle and several suspected combatants.

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CENTCOM said the latest U.S. strikes on Wednesday morning were in direct response to the recent series of attacks on U.S. forces in the region and directly targeted members of the group they deemed responsible for Monday’s ballistic missile attack.

The Monday evening AC-130 strike and these new strikes on Wednesday morning mark the fourth and fifth times, respectively, in which U.S. forces have carried out strikes in response to the ongoing pattern of attacks on U.S. troops. The first three sets of U.S. airstrikes took place on Oct. 26, Nov. 8, and Nov. 12, and targeted facilities in Syria that the U.S. military believes have been used to support the groups responsible for targeting U.S. and Coalition personnel.

Conflict in the Middle East

The U.S. troops are deployed in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the name for the U.S. and Coalition mission to defeat ISIS and prevent its resurgence in those two countries. In December of 2021, U.S. military officials announced U.S. forces would end their combat role in OIR but remain in Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces.

While U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria are ostensibly focused on countering ISIS, their presence in the region is opposed by various Iran-linked militia factions, including various factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces—an organization of Iraqi state-sponsored militia groups. U.S. troops and Iran-linked militants have clashed at numerous points during OIR, often during periods of escalating tension between the U.S. and Iran.

The latest pattern of attacks by suspected Iran-backed militants comes amid ongoing fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas. This fighting began after Hamas gunmen breached the Israel-Gaza barrier on Oct. 7 and proceeded to kill hundreds of people across southern Israel. The U.S. has historically supported the Israeli government and has continued that support during the ongoing conflict with Hamas. There is no clear evidence yet that the Iranian government officially supported the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, but the Iranian government has been accused of supporting the Palestinian faction in the past.

The U.S. military has stepped up its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks, with a stated goal of containing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Last week, Ms. Singh insisted the attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are a “separate issue” from the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict, and expressed that the Pentagon believes the Israel–Hamas conflict remains contained.

There has been some limited fighting across Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Houthi forces in Yemen have also launched some drone and missile attacks toward Israel amid the ongoing fighting. Houthi forces separately downed a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone on Nov. 8.