Mortar attack on air base housing US forces in Iraq injures four days after Iran missile attack
AN AIR base in in Iraq housing US troops has been bombarded by mortars leaving four people injured.
Seven mortar bombs fell inside Iraq's Balad air base and four Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the attack just days after Iran launched missiles at two other military bases in revenge for the death of General Qasem Soleimani
Two military sources said today's mortar bombs fell in the runway inside the base, which is located 50 miles north of Baghdad.
The surprise attack last week was aimed at the Al Asad and Erbil air bases in retaliation for the US killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Donald Trump said no Americans were harmed in the missile attacks on military bases in Iraq.
The President’s assertion came in the wake of the Iranian state TV claiming 80 "American terrorists" were killed in the strikes.
Iran then bragged it had given America a "slap in the face" following the attacks on US military sites in Iraq, with at least 15 missiles.
But speaking at the White House the President said: "No Americans were harmed in last night's attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties.
"The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it.
"We do not want to use it. American strength, both military and economic, is the best deterrent.”
Trump also appeared to signal that he wanted to de-escalate tensions with Iran.
Iran's state TV boasted the operation was named 'Martyr Soleimani' and was carried out in memory of the Revolutionary Guard leader killed last week in a US drone strike.
Following the attack last week, a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed just a few miles from Tehran's main airport, killing all 176 people on board and sparking fears it had been shot down.
It was reported ten of Iran's ballistic missiles struck the Al Asad base, one hit the town of Erbil, and four others were unsuccessful in hitting their targets.
Surface-to-surface missiles - said to have been fired from inside Iran - were aimed at the Al-Asad air base that houses American troops.
Another facility in Erbil, in the Kurdish region of Iraq, was also targeted.
Video shows several rockets glowing in the night sky. They are believed to be defensive rockets set up to intercept the missiles.
The Revolutionary Guard then warned the US and its regional allies against retaliating.
An hour after the attack began a second round of rockets was launched, Iranian media said.
It came after huge crowds took to the streets of Iran to mourn Soleimani.
The Iranian Fars news agency tweeted a picture of a missile being fired with the words: "Hard Revenge."
Soleimani, 62, spearheaded Iran's military operations in the Middle East as head of the country's elite Quds Force, considered to be a terrorist organisation by the US.
Trump claimed he ordered the strike because Soleimani was plotting further attacks and the killing sparked a tense wait for Iran’s response amid fears of a devastating war.
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Thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran for his funeral.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept over the general's casket during his prayers as mourners waved flags and demanded revenge.
And thousands more turned out in his home town of Kerman today, sparking a stampede which left 40 dead and 213 injured.
