Three rockets land near military base housing US forces in Baghdad

Three rockets landed in the vicinity of Baghdad airport near a military base in the complex that houses US forces, the Iraqi military said, after one of the busiest weeks of attacks against US targets in Iraq for months.

The incident caused no casualties, the military said.

It followed at least five attacks directed at US interests in Iraq this week, including four blasts against convoys carrying supplies to bases housing US forces, a rocket attack on an air base north of Baghdad and a rocket attack near the US Embassy in the capital.

Washington blames such attacks on Iranian-backed militia groups. Iran has not directly commented on the incidents but little-known groups believed to be connected to Iran-aligned militias have claimed some attacks.

Friday’s attack took place as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi prepares to travel to the United States for talks about Iraq’s future strategic relationship with Washington.

It also comes after Israel and the United Arab Emirates, two regional opponents of Iran, announced they would normalise diplomatic ties, a move that some commentators say provides a fresh challenge to Iran’s power in the Middle East.

Iraq, where US-Iran tensions have often spilled over into violence, seeks to avoid being drawn into any regional conflagration.

The Middle East came close to a full conflict in January after a US drone strike killed the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad airport.

Iran-aligned militias have sworn to avenge their deaths.

The militias see Kadhimi as having firmly sided with the United States since he took office in May, after he ordered an arrest raid against one powerful Iran-aligned group and has indicated he wants to rein in the paramilitaries.