US Embassy In Baghdad Attacked By Three Rockets - No Casualties Reported

The Sunday attack into the US embassy in Baghdad amid the anti-government protests marked a rather risky escalation that has targeted Iraqi military bases where American troops are deployed.

Three rockets were hurled at the embassy—one hit the embassy cafeteria sometime during dinner, while the other two fell in the vicinity. While the embassy did not immediately comment, a statement was released by the Iraqi security forces that reported no causalities so far. This incident marks the third attack against the US embassy.

In a statement, the United States demanded that adequate safety measures had to be taken to protect the embassy. "We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities," a State Department spokesperson said in the statement.

Bombs were fired, and the sounds reverberated across the western bank of the river Tigris at 7.30 pm. Despite none of the attacks being claimed as yet, Washington attributes the attacks to Iran-backed military factions in Iraq. This allegation comes after the US and Iran entered into a mud-slinging since the past one month post the killing of an Iranian top military general.

As per a recent report; “three rockets slammed into the US embassy in Iraq's capital on Sunday in the first direct hit reported after months of close calls, as thousands kept up anti-government sit-ins across the country.”

A similar attack was carried out on a northern Iraqi base, which claimed the life of an American contractor. Retaliation in the form of a strike on an Iran-backed faction known as Kataeb Hezbollah was initiated by the United States.

Less than a week later, a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military figure Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside the Baghdad airport, which evokes furor of great magnitude, egging Iran on to fire missiles at an Iraqi base where US troops are stationed.

Currently, a rough estimate of 5,200 Americans are stationed in Iraq to lead the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group, but the recent US strike on Baghdad provoked rallied top Iraqi figures to converge through a joint call to order them out.