2019 K-1 Air Base attack

Last updated
2019 K-1 Air Base attack
Part of 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
Type31 107mm Katyusha rockets (U.S. claim)
11-16 Katyusha rockets (Iraqi claim) [1]
Location
K-1 Air Base, Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq

35°30′45″N044°17′03″E / 35.51250°N 44.28417°E / 35.51250; 44.28417 (K-1 AB)
TargetU.S. personnel at K-1 Air Base
Date27 December 2019
7:20 pm (GMT+3)
Executed byDisputed
(Kata'ib Hezbollah alleged by United States, denied by Kata'ib Hezbollah)
(Islamic State alleged by Iraq's National Security Council [1] )
Casualties1 U.S. civilian contractor killed [a] [b]
4 U.S. service members and 2 Iraqi security forces personnel wounded

A rocket attack was carried out on the K-1 Air Base in Kirkuk province in Iraq on 27 December 2019. The air base was one of many Iraqi military bases that host Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) personnel and, according to the coalition, was attacked by more than 30 rockets. The attack occurred during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis and preceded a series of events that eventually brought Iran and the United States to the brink of open conflict.

Contents

Casualties

According to Iraqi Brigadier General Ahmed Adnan, the chief of intelligence for the federal police at K-1, three rockets fell on the Iraqi side of the K-1 base, one on the perimeter fence and about seven on the American side. At least one hit a munitions store on the American side, causing a large secondary explosion. [1] The rocket attack killed an American civilian contractor and injured four U.S. service members and two Iraqi security forces personnel. [4] Few of the details of the attack were immediately made available and the names of other American military service members wounded in the attack were undisclosed, according to The New York Times . [5]

The American contractor that was killed, an Iraqi-American named Nawres Waleed Hamid from Sacramento, California, worked at the base as a linguist under the company Valiant Integrated Services. Valiant Integrated Services paid for his funeral and burial at the Greater Sacramento Muslim Cemetery, which took place on 4 January 2020, the day after his body was returned to the United States. [6] [7]

Alleged perpetrators

The U.S. blamed the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia—a subgroup of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)—for the attack, citing evidence and military intelligence that was not made public or shared with the Iraqis. Kata'ib Hezbollah denied its involvement and no other group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. [8] According to CNN, a U.S. official stated that there were many similarities to 10 other rocket attacks in prior months, which they attributed to militias supported by Iran. [9] According to Iraqi General Ahmed Adnan, U.S. investigators removed any rocket fragments and one unexploded rocket from the Iraqi side of the base, making it difficult for the Iraqis to conduct a deeper, independent forensic investigation. [1] According to VOA News and The New York Times, a launchpad for Katyusha rockets was discovered in a deserted white pickup truck close to the air base by Iraqi security personnel. Four rockets that failed to launch were found in their silos. The Iraqis sent the pickup to U.S. forces where, according to two unidentified U.S. officials, U.S. investigators found evidence in the truck that helped attribute it to Kata'ib Hezbollah. The officials also cited separate communications intercepts that reportedly showed the group's involvement. [10] [1]

On 6 February 2020, over a month after the attack, The New York Times reported that Iraqi military and intelligence officials said they had no direct evidence to prove that Kata'ib Hezbollah, which reportedly had not had a presence in Kirkuk Province since 2014, was involved in the attack. Iraqi officials suggested that the Islamic State (IS), a Sunni terror group, may have orchestrated it given that the rockets were launched from a Sunni part of Kirkuk notorious for attacks and executions by the group, which would have also made the area hostile territory for a Shiite militia like Khata'ib Hezbollah, and the fact that ISIL had carried out three attacks relatively close to the base in the ten days before the attack on K-1. The Times report also highlighted discrepancies with the Iraqi and U.S. accounts of the attack, including the amount of rockets fired; the U.S. said 31 rockets were fired, several Iraqi officers at K-1 said as many as 16 were fired, and Gen. Adnan said 11 were fired. [1]

By February 2020, the U.S. had yet to share its intelligence with Iraqi officials that it says linked the attack to the militia. Iraqi intelligence officials said it was difficult to assess the U.S. assertions without seeing their intelligence. According to U.S. officials, despite the fact that they closely cooperate on counter-terrorism efforts, the U.S. does not always share sensitive intelligence with Iraq because of Iranian influence and operatives present within the central government that could feed intelligence to Iranian leadership. [1]

U.S. response

The airbase attack led to a rapid series of events within the following week, starting with U.S. retaliation in Iraq and Syria, which targeted five Kata'ib Hezbollah weapon storage facilities and command and control locations. [11] [1] [12] At least 25 militia members reportedly died [13] and at least 55 were reportedly wounded. [14]

It was followed by a militia attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which in turn led to a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, killing Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and PMU commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Notes

  1. ↑ US defense contractor Nawres Hamid was an American naturalized citizen. [2]
  2. ↑ On 7 January 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that another victim of the attack died. [3]

Related Research Articles

Al-Qa'im is an Iraqi border town located nearly 400 km (248 mi) northwest of Baghdad near the Syrian border and situated along the Euphrates River, and located in the Al Anbar Governorate. It has a population of about 74,100 and it's the center of the Al-Qa'im District.

The term militia in contemporary Iraq refers to armed groups that fight on behalf of or as part of the Iraqi government, the Mahdi Army and Badr Organization being two of the biggest. Many predate the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but some have emerged since, such as the Facilities Protection Service. The 2003 invasion of Iraq by United States-led forces undermined the internal order in the country and brought about, among other things, the establishment of several pro-Iranian militias affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's Quds Force. The militias were set up with the purpose of driving the U.S. and Coalition forces out of Iraq and establishing Iranian involvement in the country. Prominent among the militias are Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran–United States relations after 1979</span> Overview of Iranian–American relations after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been embroiled in tense relations with the U.S. and its allies. Following the hostage crisis, both countries severed relations. Since then, both countries have been involved in numerous direct confrontations, diplomatic incidents, and proxy wars throughout the Middle East, which has caused the tense nature of the relationship between the two to be called an 'international crisis'. Both countries have often accused each other of breaking international law on several occasions. The U.S. has often accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and of illegally maintaining a nuclear program, as well as using strong rhetoric against Israel, of which Iran has questioned its legitimacy and its right to exist while supporting Hamas, an antizionist terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Iran has often accused the U.S. of human rights violations and of meddling in their affairs, especially within the Iranian Democracy Movement.

Special Groups (SGs) is a designation given by the United States military to the cell-based Shi'a paramilitary organizations operating within Iraq, According to the United States these groups are funded, trained, and armed by the Iranian Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kata'ib Hezbollah</span> Shia Islamist paramilitary group in Iraq

Kata'ib Hezbollah, also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is a radical Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group which is a part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), staffing the 45th, 46th, and 47th Brigades. During the Iraq War (2003–11), the group fought against Coalition forces. It has been active in the War in Iraq (2013–2017) and the Syrian Civil War. The group was commanded by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis until he was killed in a US drone attack in 2020. Thereafter, Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi became the new leader of the PMF. The group seeks to establish an Iran-aligned government in Iraq, expel American forces from the country, and advance the regional and international interests of Iran in Iraq and the region. The group is responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers and takes a central part in carrying out attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq and acts as part of the Axis of Resistance. Kata'ib Hezbollah has received extensive training, funding, logistic support, weapons, and intelligence from the IRGC's overseas military-intelligence service Quds Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-1 Air Base</span> Military airbase in Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq

K-1 Air Base, or Kaywan, is a former Iraqi Air Force base and military base in the Kirkuk Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, later served as the headquarters of the 12th Division of the Iraqi Army. In 2014 it was taken over by the Kurdish Peshmerga. On October 16, 2017, the base was taken back by Iraqi special forces during the Battle of Kirkuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)</span> Intervention against ISIS by Iran

The Iranian intervention in Iraq has its roots in the post-2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, when the infrastructure of the Iraqi armed forces, as well as intelligence, were disbanded in a process called "de-Ba'athification" which allowed militias with close ties to Tehran to join the newly reconstituted army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Mobilization Forces</span> Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iraqi state-sponsored paramilitary network composed of about 67 primarily Shi'ite armed factions but which also include Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Yazidi groups. The PMF were formed in 2014 and fought in nearly every major battle during the War in Iraq (2013–17) against Islamic State. Many of its main militias that belong to the Shia faction trace their origins to the "Special Groups", Iranian-sponsored Shi'ite groups that previously fought in the Iraqi insurgency against the United States and the Coalition forces, as well as a sectarian conflict against Sunni Jihadist and Ba'athist insurgents. It has been labeled the new Iraqi Republican Guard after it was fully reorganized in early 2018 by its then-Commander Haider al-Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq from 2014 to 2018, who issued "regulations to adapt the situation of the Popular Mobilization fighters".

The Imam Ali military base is an Iranian military base located near the eastern Syrian town of Abu Kamal, near the border with Iraq.

On 29 December 2019, the United States conducted airstrikes against Kata'ib Hezbollah's weapons depots and command centers in Iraq and Syria, reportedly killing at least 25 militiamen and wounding 55 more. The U.S. Department of Defense said the operation was in retaliation for repeated attacks on Iraqi military bases hosting Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces, particularly the 27 December 2019 attack on a Kirkuk airbase that left an American civilian contractor dead. Kata'ib Hezbollah, an extremist Shi'ite militia funded by Iran, denied any responsibility for the attacks.

The U.S. embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad, Iraq, was attacked on 31 December 2019 by Kata'ib Hezbollah militiamen and their Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) supporters and sympathizers. The attack was prompted by the U.S. airstrikes on 29 December 2019 that targeted weapons depots and command and control installations of Kata'ib Hezbollah across Iraq and Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Qasem Soleimani</span> 2020 U.S. drone strike killing of an Iranian major general

On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was killed by an American drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, while travelling to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

The 2020 Camp Taji attacks were rocket attacks that took place on 11 March and 14 March 2020, targeting Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, in Baghdad Governorate, which hosts Coalition and United States Forces in Iraq. Three coalition soldiers were killed with 18 coalition soldiers being wounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq (2020–2021)</span> 2020–2021 withdrawal

After the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq in 2017, Iraq and the United States began discussing the partial withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq in December 2019. In January 2020, during massive protests in Iraq, and following an escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran, the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a non-binding measure to "expel all foreign troops from their country," including American and Iranian troops. The American Trump administration ignored the motion, but later began a partial drawdown of forces in March. U.S. combat troops have since accelerated their withdrawal from Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Erbil rocket attacks</span> Missile attacks on Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

The 2021 Erbil rocket attacks occurred when multiple rockets were launched against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. On 15 February, approximately fourteen rockets were fired from an area south of the city at around 21:30 local time. Three of the rockets directly hit the U.S.-led coalition base near Erbil International Airport, while the other rockets hit residential areas and civilian facilities near the airport. Two people were killed in the attack, and an additional 13 were injured, including an American service member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">February 2021 United States airstrike in Syria</span> Bombing by the United States against militia groups in Syria

On February 25, 2021, the United States military carried out an airstrike on a site which it believed to have been occupied by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias operating from across the border in eastern Syria. The unilateral operation was in retaliation for multiple rocket attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq ten days prior and was the first known offensive military operation carried out under U.S. president Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria during the Israel–Hamas war</span> Armed conflict

Starting on 17 October 2023, and in response to United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war, Iran-backed militias initiated a coordinated series of more than 170 attacks on U.S. military bases and assets in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. These attacks resulted in injuries to dozens of U.S. service members. In retaliation, the U.S. has launched multiple counterattacks, resulting in the death of over 30 militants including a senior commander of the Nujaba Movement, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi. In February 2024, following U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, militia attacks against U.S. forces were halted.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an umbrella network of Iranian-backed Shia Islamist insurgent groups in Iraq. It is an umbrella term used by these groups, when carrying out attacks against American and allied forces in the region.

Events of the year 2024 in Iraq.

On 2 February 2024, the United States Air Force launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed militia groups located in Iraq and Syria. The attack was launched in retaliation against a drone strike carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeting US troops in Jordan the week before, which killed three U.S. troops.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rubin, Alissa Johannsen (6 February 2020). "Was U.S. Wrong About Attack That Nearly Started a War With Iran?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "U.S. contractor whose killing in Iraq was cited by Trump was linguist with 2 young sons". NBC News. 8 January 2020. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "Trump Meets With Prime Minister Of Greece". NBC News. 7 January 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. ↑ Garland, Chad (28 December 2019). "American defense contractor killed, troops wounded in rocket attack on base in Kirkuk". Stripes.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Barnes, Julian E. (2019-12-28). "American Contractor Killed in Rocket Attack in Iraq" . The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Chabria, Anita; Miller, Leila; Parvini, Sarah (2020-01-09). "Defense contractor from California whose death sparked U.S.-Iran conflict is mourned". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  7. ↑ Morrar, Sawsan; Stanton, Sam (7 January 2020). "U.S. contractor killed in Iraq, which led to strike on Iranian general, buried in Sacramento". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Rubin, Alissa J.; Hubbard, Ben (30 December 2019). "American Airstrikes Rally Iraqis Against U.S." . The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Starr, Barbara (December 27, 2019). "US civilian contractor killed in rocket attack in Iraq". CNN. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  10. ↑ Ali, Idrees; Stewart, Phil; Mahmoud, Mustafa; Aboulenein, Ahmed (28 December 2019). Williams, Alison; Chang, Richard (eds.). "U.S. civilian contractor killed in Iraq base rocket attack: officials". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Starr, Barbara; Bohn, Kevin; Levitt, Ross (29 December 2019). "US strikes 5 facilities in Iraq and Syria linked to Iranian-backed militia". CNN. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  12. ↑ Barnes, Julian E. (29 December 2019). "U.S. Launches Airstrikes on Iranian-Backed Forces in Iraq and Syria" . The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  13. ↑ "Kata'ib Hezbollah: Iraq condemns US attacks on Iran-backed militia". BBC. 30 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Ali, Idrees; Rasheed, Ahmed; Holland, Steve (29 December 2019). Dunsmuir, Lindsay; Lange, Jason; Oliphant, James; Brown, Tom; Craft, Diane (eds.). "Trump aides call U.S. strikes on Iraq and Syria 'successful,' warn of potential further action". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.