Pentagon: US bases in Iraq, Syria attacked 38 times in under a month

US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 38 times in less than a month by Iranian-supported resistance factions, according to the Pentagon, including six incidents in the past two days. Yesterday, it was reported that drones were shot down, attempting to target the Ain Al-Assad bases in Iraq’s Anbar governorate and Al-Tanf on the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border.

Most of the attacks involve the use of rockets and drones and have been on the rise in both countries since 17 October, days after Israel launched its genocidal war on the people of Gaza following the Hamas-led resistance operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the occupation state.

Yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters that the attacks are “harassing” troops and have resulted in 46 injured US military personnel, more than double the injuries previously reported. On 25 October the US announced that 21 military personnel had sustained minor injuries.

“These could be things like shrapnel, headaches, perforated eardrums, tinnitus, rolled ankle,” Ryder said, in addition to traumatic brain injuries.

Ryder said the US is trying to “make sure that this does not spiral into escalation” and would continue to protect their troops in the region, adding that “We will make sure that we’re taking any necessary actions to protect our forces.”

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Resistance groups in Iraq had previously threatened to strike against US bases in the case that Washington intervenes in the ongoing war against the Palestinians.

However, CNN reported: “In clear messaging to Iran and its proxies in the region who may seek to further exacerbate the volatile events in the Middle East, the US has deployed significant firepower including two Navy carrier strike groups, various aircraft including F-16 and F-15 fighter jets, and roughly 1,200 US troops including those attached to deploying Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries.”

This was followed by the US Central Command making a rare announcement on the weekend that a US guided-missile submarine had arrived in the Middle East.

So far amid the current wave of attacks, the US has responded militarily only once, “leaving the Biden administration open to accusations of weakness, once again.”

There are approximately 2,500 US troops in Iraq and some 900 illegally based in Syria, allegedly as part of efforts to prevent the resurgence of Daesh in the region, however they have all been positioned around Syria’s oilfields.

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