Baghdad airport struck by Katyusha rockets, 4 killed: Iraq officials

At least three Katyusha rockets were fired at Baghdad International Airport Friday, killing four people and setting cars on fire, Iraqi security officials said.

Iraq’s Security Media Cell, which releases information regarding Iraqi security, said the rockets landed near the airport's cargo hall. It reported several casualties and said two cars were on fire.

An Iraqi security official told The Associated Press that four people were killed in the attack. It was not immediately clear who had fired the rockets or who was targeted.

The attack came amid tensions with the United States after a New Year's Eve attack by Iran-backed militias on the US Embassy in Baghdad. The two-day embassy attack which ended Wednesday prompted President Donald Trump to order about 750 US soldiers deployed to the Middle East.

The breach at the embassy followed US airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The US military said the strikes were in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that the US blamed on the militia.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay connected