BAGHDAD: A mortar shell slammed into an air base hosting US troops in northern Iraq late Thursday causing no casualties, two Iraqi security officias said.
The shell struck the K1 Iraqi military air base in Kirkuk province, according to the security sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. They provided no additional details.
A rocket attack on the same base in December triggered a chain of retaliatory events that led to soaring US-Iran tensions and brought Iraq to the brink of war.
On Thursday, Iraqi forces conducted a search of the perimeter of the base and discovered a launching pad and 11 unused missiles, a statement from Iraq’s military said.
A rocket attack on K1 killed a US contractor on Dec. 27 and led Washington to conduct an airstrike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.
The attack infuriated Shiite Iraqi lawmakers who voted to oust US troops from the country in a Jan. 3 Parliament session. Iran retaliated for Soleimani’s killing with a barrage of missiles that targeted two air bases hosting American troops in Irbil and Ain Al-Asad.
Iran and the US have since refrained from further escalation, but the issue of American troops has monopolized Iraqi politics.
Rocket attack hits north Iraq base hosting US troops
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Rocket attack hits north Iraq base hosting US troops
- It was the first attack on the K1 base since December 27
European diplomats call on Israel to reopen Palestinian community center in Jerusalem
- Israeli authorities have closed Burj Al-Luqluq for 6 months, a community association that provides youth activities in the Old City
- European diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, Ramallah urge Israeli authorities to ensure access to essential services in East Jerusalem
LONDON: European diplomats expressed concern on Thursday over the Israeli authorities’ decision to close the Burj Al-Luqluq community center in the walled city of East Jerusalem.
A statement read: “For decades, the center has provided vital educational, cultural and sports programs, particularly for children and youth. This decision risks undermining the indispensable work of independent Palestinian civil society organizations in East Jerusalem.”
European diplomatic missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah have urged Israeli authorities to protect civic space, ensure access to essential services in East Jerusalem, and allow Burj Al-Luqluq to resume activities without delay.
The missions making the appeal were from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, according to the Palestine News Agency.
Israeli authorities on Thursday closed Burj Al-Luqluq for six months. It is one of the few community associations that provides youth activities in the Old City.
The center is strategically situated next to the northern and eastern walls of the Old City. It is the second-largest open area within the city’s walls, after the Al-Aqsa compound.
Founded in 1991, it offers sports, cultural, and social programs, along with women’s empowerment initiatives. It also provides a kindergarten, a computer lab and life skills training, and benefits between 300 and 500 people daily.
Israeli forces sealed the building’s doors by welding them shut and prevented access after delivering a closure order, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
The governorate called the move a serious escalation in actions targeting Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, which undermined residents’ rights to dignified living and safe community spaces for children and youngsters, the WAFA added.
