Ali Jawad
16 February 2021•Update: 16 February 2021
BAGHDAD
An Iraqi armed group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a rocket attack outside the international airport in Erbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region.
The group, calling itself the “Guardian of Blood Brigades”, said in a statement that it had fired 24 rockets at the airport and they hit their target.
The group had previously claimed attacks against forces of the US-led coalition against the Daesh/ISIS terror group in Iraq.
According to Iraqi media, the armed group is a member of the Iran-backed Iraqi Hezbollah group.
Rockets struck the Erbil airport and its surroundings late Monday, killing a US contractor and injuring six others, including a US soldier.
Coalition spokesperson Wayne Marotto said on Twitter that “indirect fire” had landed on coalition forces in Erbil.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was outraged by the rocket attack.
“We are outraged by today’s rocket attack,” Blinken said in a statement. “Initial reports indicate that the attacks killed one civilian contractor and injured several members of the Coalition, including one American service member and several American contractors.”
Blinken said he had been in touch with Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss the incident and “to pledge our support for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible”.
Barzani, for his part, said he requested US support during a phone call with Blinken to bring perpetrators of the airport attack to justice.
In September 2020, another rocket attack by unknown militants targeted the Erbil airport, but without causing any casualties. At the time, the KRG accused the Hashd al-Shaabi militia of being behind the attack.
*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara.
