Today's D Brief: Deadly Iraq rocket attack; NATO may add troops in Afghanistan; ‘9/11-style’ inquest into Capitol riot; Confederate base names; And a bit more.
By Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
February 16, 2021 10:27 AM ET
The D Brief
A rocket attack on a U.S. base in Erbil, Iraq, killed one civilian contractor and injured one U.S. service member on Monday, Defense One’s Katie Bo Williams reported from the base in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The attack also injured five other contractors, all but one American, according to a U.S. defense official. The contractor who was killed was not an American citizen, according to multiple defense officials. At least one local civilian was killed in the attack, which also struck a nearby residential neighborhood, according to local media reports.
A group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam took immediate responsibility, and claimed to have fired 24 rockets in the attack. The group is widely seen as a front for Iran-linked militia in Iraq, in particular Kataib Hezbollah, the group that killed multiple Americans in two attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq in 2019 and 2020. More from Williams, here.
Reax from Tehran: “Iran considers Iraq’s stability and security as a key issue for the region... and rejects any action that disturbs the peace and order in that country,†Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh reportedly said via state-run media. Tiny bit more via Chinese state-run media, here.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/02/the-d-brief-february-16-2021/172060/
