The US military has assessed that at least one of the two attacks this week that targeted US forces in Syria and Iraq was carried out by militia groups linked to Iran, a Pentagon official said Friday.
“It’s certainly a tactic that has been used by these militia groups, militia groups that are supported by Iran. It’s right out of their playbook,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said when asked about the attack in Syria. “I think our working assumption would be that that’s the case here, but we want to do the forensics and do it properly.”
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Early Friday morning, US air defense systems in Iraq shot down an armed drone that was entering Al-Asad Air Base.
No injuries were reported.
The latest attack came less than 24 hours after the US Central Command said at least four US service members were being treated for “possible traumatic brain injuries” in a separate incident.
Coalition forces at the Green Village in Syria “received 2 rounds of indirect fire that struck two support buildings,” according to a statement from the US Central Command on Thursday.
Iran and Iran-backed militias have routinely targeted US forces in the region and have publicly stated their belief that they could drive the US out of the area.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is engaged in indirect talks with Tehran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
The deal, however, does not address Iran’s ballistic missile program or its support for terror groups and its proxies in the region.
Read more: Top US military general: Quds Force is terror group and shouldn’t be removed from FTO
