Two U.S., one British personnel killed in Iraq rocket attack: Officials

Washington (Reuters) – One British and two American personnel were killed and about a dozen people were wounded when 18 small rockets hit Iraq’s Taji military camp north of Baghdad on Wednesday, U.S. officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The officials, who cautioned the death toll may rise given the severity of some of the injuries, said it was too soon to assign blame. Any indication that Iran-backed militia were responsible could spark a new round of confrontation between the United States and Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and they “underscored that those responsible for the attacks must be held accountable,” the State Department said.

The last military escalation led to a U.S. strike in January that killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, which, in turn, led Iran to fire missiles at a base in Iraq hosting U.S. forces, leaving more than 100 troops with brain injuries.

Pompeo has argued the killing of Soleimani was necessary in part to deter Iran and Iran-backed groups from additional attacks.

The U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq said in a statement that 18 107 mm Katyusha rockets struck the base and suggested they may have been fired from a truck.

It confirmed three personnel were killed and about a dozen wounded but declined to disclose the nationalities of the casualties or offer any other identifying information.

“The attack is under investigation by the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces,” the U.S.-led coalition said.

The State Department readout of the call with Raab said that there had been American, British and other casualties in the attack, but it did not provide details.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a statement condemning the attack and added that Raab had spoken with Pompeo.

“We will continue to liaise with our international partners to fully understand the details of this abhorrent attack,” Johnson said, without confirming British casualties.