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[Xinhua News Agency Micro Special] US officials said that an air force base in western Iraq where US troops are stationed was attacked by rockets on the 5th, injuring at least five American soldiers.

A U.S. official who declined to be named told Reuters that several U.S. troops stationed at the Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq were injured, one of them seriously. The relevant parties are assessing the damage to the base and the number of injured may be updated.

The White House issued a statement saying that US President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been informed of the matter and have received relevant reports.

Iraqi security sources said two Katyusha rockets landed inside the Assad air base.

No organization or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack, and it is unclear whether it is related to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in Iran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Hijau al-Sudani spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the phone on the 4th. An Iraqi official who requested anonymity revealed that Blinken asked Sudani to persuade Iran to ease the current tensions. Iran said it would strike Israel to avenge Haniyeh.

After the new round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out on October 7 last year, some Iraqi militia groups repeatedly launched rockets and drones at US military bases in Iraq. On January 28 this year, a US military base near the Syrian border in northeastern Jordan was attacked by a drone, killing three US soldiers and injuring more than 40 people. This is the first time that the US has reported that US soldiers have been attacked and killed in the Middle East since the outbreak of this round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In retaliation, the US military launched air strikes on more than 85 militia targets in Syria and Iraq on February 2.

In June, Charles Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, said that there had been no attacks on US military bases in the Middle East since February this year. However, US military bases in Iraq were attacked again in July. The Assad Air Base was attacked by drones on July 16 and by four rockets on the evening of the 25th. The US military launched another airstrike on Iraqi militias on July 30, killing four people.

In order to ease tensions, the Iraqi government has started negotiations with the US on the future role of US troops and the multinational coalition it leads in Iraq. According to Reuters, Iraq hopes that the US and coalition forces will gradually withdraw from September this year and officially end their operations in September 2025. However, some US troops may continue to stay as military advisers. There are currently about 2,500 US troops stationed in Iraq. (End) (Wang Hongbin)