Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Overnight attacks target US centre at Baghdad airport: security officials
Baghdad, March 22 (AFP) Mar 22, 2026
Eight overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad's International Airport, an Iraqi security official told AFP on Sunday.

Several waves of departures from the US facility occurred on Saturday from the airport, according to another Iraqi security source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

"Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones, targeted the US centre," the senior security official told AFP, adding that "some rockets landed near the base".

A second security official said there had been at least six strikes, with a police source saying a rocket launcher was discovered in a Baghdad district near the airport.

The US diplomatic and logistics hub is located in the international airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the war in the Middle East on February 28.

Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.

An umbrella movement known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility early on Sunday for 21 drone and rocket attacks carried out in the past 24 hours "against the bases of the occupier" in Iraq and the Middle East.

The group has long demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

Following a string of attacks, the US embassy in Baghdad was not targeted for a fourth consecutive night, after influential Iran-backed armed group Kataeb Hezbollah pledging on Thursday -- under certain conditions -- to cease attacks for five days.

Asked by AFP about the withdrawal of personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan, a State Department spokesperson said the mission "remains open while on ordered departure".

"Our team in Iraq continues to review all needed actions to promote the safety of US government personnel and facilities," they added.


ADVERTISEMENT




 WAR.WIRE

SINO.WIRE

NUKE.WIRE

All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.