On Thursday, at least four rockets were fired, targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone. According to two Iraqi security officials, two civilians were injured in the rocket attack.
The officials said that three of the missiles were able to strike the embassy’s perimeter. Another hit a school located in the nearby al-Qadisiyah residential complex, not far from the diplomatic facility. Both a young girl and a woman were injured, the officials said. The two Iraqi security officials would only speak with the condition of anonymity because neither had the authorization to talk with the media.
While no one had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Thursday evening, a statement from the Iraqi military said the rockets were fired from Baghdad’s Dora neighborhood.
The US Embassy released a statement saying the compound had been attacked by “terrorist groups attempting to undermine Iraq’s security, sovereignty, and international relations.” The C-RAM defense system at the embassy used to detect and destroy any incoming rockets, mortar shells, and artillery could be heard during the attack.
The Green Zone hosts foreign diplomatic missions and includes the premier’s house and the US Embassy itself. It has been the target of several rocket attacks since January 2020, when a US drone strike killed both Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Last week, there were a series of attacks targeting US troops in Syria and Iraq. Iraqi military bases housing American troops were hit with rockets in Baghdad and the western Anbar province. Washington blames Iran-backed Shia groups for rocket attacks on US and foreign troops in Iraq.
These armed Iranian-backed groups have vowed they will get revenge for the murder of Solemani, conditioning the end of the attacks only on the complete exit of US troops from Iraq. The US withdrawal from Iraq was supposed to be finished by the end of 2021. There are still around 2,500 American troops in Iraq as the coalition shifts to an “advisory” mission that will continue to support Iraqi forces.
Pentagon Press Secretary, John Kirby, said that the United States has had indirect communication with the Iranian government, making sure they know how serious the situation is.
“We have made it very clear in other channels to the Iranians how seriously we’re taking this,” Kirby said.
My question is, when does the Biden administration start using more direct communication with the Iranian government? World leaders are currently having another round of discussions in Vienna on a “deal” with Iran to return to the 2015 agreement. When is there discussion regarding the Iranian-backed terrorist groups having open target practice on American troops in Iraq?
The US has eased sanctions within the last week, allowing South Korea to send at least $63 million to Iran. The Biden administration has done everything they can to negotiate a deal, and the more the US shows they are willing to give, the more the Iranians want to demand. When is enough going to be enough? When does the US start pushing back?
Jeffrey‘s a senior writer with ThinkCivics and a freelance journalist with The Jerusalem Post. He’s a published author, earned an associate’s degree in theology, and is pursuing a master’s degree in communications with a focus on journalism.
