4 US personnel injured in rocket attack in northeast Syria

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Four US personnel suffered minor injuries and possible traumatic brain injury after a rocket attack on a base in eastern Syria, the US-led coalition in Syria announced on Thursday.

Two rounds of rocket fire hit two support buildings in the Green Village in northeast Syria on Wednesday night, according to the US-led International Coalition for Operation Inherent Resolve. The incident is under investigation and more details will be released later.

No group has taken responsibility for the rocket fire as of yet.

In 2020, dozens of US service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after Iranian missile strikes targeted Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base in response to the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

Iranian-backed militias have targeted bases hosting US personnel in both Iraq and Syria. In some attacks, the US has responded by targeting sites belonging to pro-Iranian militias.

In January, coalition forces in the Green Village were targeted by eight rounds of indirect fire, according to US CENTCOM. The attack did not cause any casualties, but did cause damage. Washington blamed Iran-backed militias for the attack and responded with six rounds of artillery towards the point of origin. The coalition had also conducted pre-emptive strikes against rocket launch sites that posed an “imminent threat” near the Green Village hours before the attack.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, three Katyusha rockets targeted an oil refinery in the Erbil governorate of northeastern Iraq on Wednesday evening, according to the Kurdistan Directorate General of Counter Terrorism. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-703524