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2021 Erbil rocket attacks

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2021 Erbil missile attacks
Part of Iraqi conflict (2003–present) and 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
Location of Kurdistan Region in Iraq
LocationErbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Date15 February 2021
TargetCombined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve
Attack type
Missile attack
WeaponsMissile
Deaths1
Injured8
PerpetratorAwliyaa al-Dam (see: responsibility)
MotiveUnknown

Template:Campaignbox 2019–2020 Persian Gulf crisis

2021 Erbil missile attacks took place when multiple missiles were launched against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. On 15 February, approximately fourteen rockets were fired from an area south of the city at around 21:30 local time. Three of the rockets directly hit the U.S.-led coalition base near the Erbil International Airport. The other rockets hit residential areas and civilian facilities near the airport. One civilian contractor was killed in the attack, with eight more getting injured, including an American service member.

The identity of the attackers was initially unclear, with Iraqi and American authorities launching an investigation to identify the ones behind the attacks. A little known Shiite armed group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam then claimed responsibility for the attack. Despite this, several Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials, and Western analysts blamed Iran and Iranian-backed militias for being behind the attack. The tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been high since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian commander of the Quds Force, in January 2020. Iranian authorities refuted and condemned the claims of its involvement in the attacks.

The attack was the worst and deadliest in a year on the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq, and was the first time since late-2020 that Western military or diplomatic installations were targeted in the country. It was the most serious attack on the U.S.-led coalition since the Biden administration took power in January 2021, and sparked fears of escalation. Following the attack, NATO announced that it will increase the size of its forces in Iraq from 500 to around 4,000 personnel.

Background

The missile attacks took place in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city has typically not seen the kind of violence as other parts of Iraq since the 2003 American invasion.[1]

Tensions between the United States and Iran rose in January 2020, during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis, when the Iranian major general and commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and the commander of the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were targeted and killed near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq by an American drone strike.[2] The Trump administration justified the assassination of Soleimani, calling him an "imminent threat",[3][4] while the Iranian authorities called it an "act of state terrorism".[5] The Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S.,[6] while the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said that Iran "will take revenge".[7] A few days later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the Operation Martyr Soleimani, attacking the American airbases in Iraq with ballistic missiles;[8] no U.S. service member was killed, but 110 were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.[9]

Khamenei renewed his vows of avenging Soleimani in December 2020,[10] and anti-American protests erupted in Baghdad in January 2021.[2] The American government reduced its forces taking part in the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR), the official name of the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria,[11][12] to 2,500 by the same month,[13] with most of them being concentrated at the military complex near the Erbil International Airport.[14]

Since 2019, Western military and diplomatic sites and personnel have been targeted by Katyushas, roadside explosives, and sometimes direct fire. Rocket attacks had frequently targeted the American presence in Baghdad, including the U.S. Embassy, as well as convoys ferrying materials for the U.S.-led coalition. The American government had blamed pro-Iranian paramilitary forces for the assaults, but the attacks targeting the Erbil International Airport or the Kurdistan Regional Government was extremely rare,[15][16][17] with the February 2021 attack on the civilian airport being the first to strike the area since September 2020.[12]

Attacks

Ex-Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, at the U.S. air base near the airport, 2019.

On 15 February 2021, at around 21:30 local time,[18] approximately fourteen 107mm rockets[1] were launched from an area south of Erbil near the border with Kirkuk Governorate[19] and three of the them struck the section of the airport hosting U.S. and coalition partner forces.[1] Despite this, the rockets struck all over the city’s northwestern sector, hitting civilian areas near the facility.[17] The Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported that two rockets landed in a residential area, and one rocket struck an animal market, while the Chinese consulate located in the city also reportedly sustained damage.[20] Sirens were sounded in the city, and several people were hospitalized.[21] The airport was shut down and flights were halted for safety issues,[14] while the Kurdish authorities cautioned Erbil's residents to stay away from targeted areas and to remain at home if possible.[16] Material damage was also caused to cars and other property.[15]

The coalition and Iraqi authorities stated that a civilian contractor was killed,[21] and eight people were wounded as a result of the attack,[19] including a U.S. service member who had a concussion.[22]

Responsibility

The identity of the attackers was initially unclear,[21] and no group had claimed responsibility for the attack.[23] The Iraqi security officials launched an investigation to determine the source of the attack on the same day,[15] while the American authorities stated that the U.S. will work with the Iraqi investigators to hold accountable those who were responsible.[21]

A little known Shiite armed group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Arabic for Guardians of Blood Brigade, claimed responsibility for the attack,[24] but did not provide evidence of its role in the incident.[25] The group, which according to some Iraqi officials, have links with Iran,[22] stated that it had opposed the "American occupation" and would carry out more attacks on the U.S. forces. Though according to Michael Knights, an expert on Iraq and Iran at the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Iranian-backed Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq was the militia that was most likely to have been behind the attack.[16] On 16 February, the Spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, stated that Iran had opposed "any acts that harmed Iraq's security", and denied suggestions by some Iraqi officials that it had any link to Saraya Awliya al-Dam, condemning the "suspicious attempts to attribute [the attack] to Iran".[14]

Spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Mahmoud Mohammed, stated that a group of fighters with ties to the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was responsible for the attacks. This was refuted by the head of relations at the PMF’s Northern Front, Sayed Ali Hosseini.[17]

Aftermath

The attack was the worst and deadliest in a year on the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq. The barrage was the first time since late-2020 that Western military or diplomatic installations were targeted in Iraq.[14][22] The attack, which was the most serious attack on the U.S.-led coalition since the Biden administration took power,[17] also sparked fears of escalation,[18] and was deemed as the first serious test of Biden's policy towards Iran.[16] According to Caroline Rose, a senior analyst at the Washington-based Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, the attack conveyed a message of intimidation to both the Biden administration and the federal Iraqi government.[17] According to Jonathan Spyer, the executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis, the attack was an Iranian message to the newly-elected Biden administration.[26]

On 17 February, the American embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad activated its own air defense system, and reconnaissance helicopters were flown over the area. The reason behind the decision was not announced.[27]

The following day, NATO announced that it will expand its security training mission in Iraq after a request by the Iraqi government, increasing the size of its forces from 500 to around 4,000 personnel.[28]

Reactions

The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi icalled for an investigation into the attack, and the Iraqi President Barham Salih called the attack a "grave escalation", and that it "undermined efforts to secure the safety of Iraqi people".[21] Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul stated that Iraq "will not accept becoming an arena for settling scores".[29] The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, condemned the attack. The American Secretary of State Antony Blinken "conveyed his outrage" and sent his condolences to the victims, while the White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that the U.S. was "outraged" by the attack.[14] U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also condemned the attack,[22] while the spokesperson for the State Department, Ned Price, stated that there will be consequences for those behind the attacks.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Peterson, Nolan (15 February 2021). "American injured after shiiter militants launch rocket attack at Iraqi base". Coffee or Die. Black Rifle Coffee Company. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b Talmazan, Yuliya (3 January 2021). "U.S., Iran tensions simmer as thousands protest Soleimani's killing in Iraq". NBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. ^ Stepansky, Joseph (19 February 2021). "Timeline of Trump's shifting justifications for Soleimani killing". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. ^ Dickinson, Tim (18 February 2020). "No Imminent Threat from Iran: Official Justification for Killing Soleimani Doesn't Back Trump Claims". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Iran slams Soleimani assassination as 'act of state terrorism'". Tehran Times. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. ^ Pickrell, Ryan (3 January 2021). "Iran's supreme leader warns a 'harsh retaliation is waiting' for the US, after an American airstrike killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Will Take "Revenge" Against US For Commander's Killing: Iran President". Agence France-Presse. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021 – via NDTV.
  8. ^ Martinez, Luis; McLaughlin, Elizabeth (8 January 2020). "Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq, Pentagon confirms". ABC News. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Number of US troops wounded in Iran attack now at 110: Pentagon". Agence France-Presse. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021 – via France 24.
  10. ^ Motamedi, Maziar (16 December 2020). "Khamenei renews revenge vow as Soleimani death anniversary nears". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  11. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (15 February 2021). "Contractor For U.S.-Led Coalition Dead, U.S. Serviceperson Injured After Rocket Attack In Iraq (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  12. ^ a b Gencturk, Ahmet (16 February 2021). "Coalition forces announce casualties in attack on Erbil airport". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  13. ^ "US Cuts Troops in Iraq to 2,500". Voice of America. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Iraqi armed group vows more attacks on 'American occupation'". Al Jazeera. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Mortars land near Erbil airport, Iraqi Kurdish security sources say". Al Arabiya. February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d McKernan, Bethan; Borger, Julian (16 February 2021). "Rocket attack on US airbase in Iraq kills civilian contractor". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e Taib Menmy, Dana (17 February 2021). "'Wake up call': Deadly Iraq rocket attack puts pressure on US". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  18. ^ a b Abdul-Zahra, Qassim (15 February 2021). "1 Killed, 8 Wounded in Rocket Attack on U.S. Base in Iraq". Time. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  19. ^ a b Abdul-Zahra, Qassim (15 February 2021). "Rockets strike near US base in Iraq, killing 1, wounding 8". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Multiple rockets fired at Erbil". Rudaw Media Network. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d e Fordham, Alice (15 February 2021). "Rockets Kill Civilian Contractor, Injure U.S. Service Member, Others In Erbil, Iraq". National Public Radio. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  22. ^ a b c d Davison, John; Rasheed, Ahmed (15 February 2021). "U.S. Forces in Iraq Hit by Rockets, Contractor Killed". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Rockets Hit US Base In Iraq: 1 Killed, 8 Injured". Businessworld. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  24. ^ "US-led coalition: No Americans killed in Iraq rocket attack". Hindustan Times. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  25. ^ Gaouette, Nicole; Starr, Barbara; Liptak, Kevin (17 February 2021). "US expresses outrage over Erbil rocket attack as investigation gets underway". CNN. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  26. ^ Spyer, Jonathan (18 February 2021). "Erbil Attacks Part of Iran's 'Opening Overture' To Biden". Newsweek. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  27. ^ "US Embassy in Erbil Activates Defense System". Asharq Al-Awsat. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  28. ^ Macias, Amanda (18 February 2021). "NATO announces expanded mission in Iraq on the heels of deadly rocket attack". CNBC. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  29. ^ Jawad, Ali; Barakat, Bassel (17 February 2021). "Iraq says airport attack carried out from inside Erbil". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  30. ^ Günerigök, Servet (18 February 2021). "US vows consequences for perpetrators of Erbil attack". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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