--- title: "Rockets fired at US base in Syria from Iraq" description: "The rocket attack on a small U.S.-led coalition outpost in northeastern Syria is the first one in the region since early February." date: "2024-04-21" modified: "2024-04-21" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/rocket-attack-syria-iraq/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Iraq" - "Middle East" - "News" tags: - "iraq" - "syria" --- # Rockets fired at US base in Syria from Iraq ![Syria]() *FILE: U.S. soldiers stand near an armored military vehicle on the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, bordering Turkey, on March 27, 2023. (Delil Souleiman /AFP via Getty Images)* For the first time in more than a month, Iraqi militants fired rockets at U.S. forces in the Middle East. Five rockets were launched from inside Iraq at a U.S. base inside northeastern Syria, Iraqi security forces announced Sunday night. The attack took place at roughly 9:50 p.m. local time, with the rockets fired from the town of Zummar, northwest from Mosul and relatively close to the Syrian border. In a statement Iraqi security forces said that “outlaw elements of having targeted a base of the international coalition with rockets in the heart of Syrian territory.” No American personnel were injured in the attack, a defense official told Task & Purpose. The official said that a coalition fighter destroyed the launcher that fired at a base at Rumalyn, Syria following the attack. Reuters meanwhile, citing Iraqi security sources, [reports]() that Iraqi forces found the vehicle used to launch the rockets and burned it. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** The attack was launched toward the Kharab al-Jir base in Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, [France 24 reports](). The base, located in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border, is used by American troops and members of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition. It had previously been [attacked]() in December. The rocket attack is the first time since early February that forces in Iraq targeted U.S. installations and personnel. Those attacks have wounded dozens of American troops and killed three service members in a base in Jordan. It is not immediately clear what group fired at the Kharab al-Jir base. Khataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militant group that the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, [said]() that Iraqi militant groups were resuming attacks on American bases and personnel, with Sunday’s attack being “the beginning.” The resumption of attacks came after what the group saw as little progress by the Iraqi government to get U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani was in Washington, D.C. this past week, [meeting]() with President Joe Biden. On Saturday an [airstrike hit an Iraqi base]() used by the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iraqi militias, wounding three fighters. The PMF, supported by Iran, was made a legitimized part of the Iraqi security apparatus during the war against ISIS. Some groups that make up the PMF have taken part in attacks against American forces in the last six months, under the loose umbrella of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, in protest of American support for Israel during its war in Gaza. Although there is an overlap of the PMF and IRI, they are not one and the same. United States forces have previously targeted members of Khataib Hezbollah, [killing a commander]() in February. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **The Marines** [**trolled the Navy**]() **on Instagram and it was awesome** - **Kadena Air Base shows off new air power with an ‘**[**elephant walk**]()**’** - [**Army Special Forces**]() **students are learning Ukrainian in new language course** - **U.S. Army Vet and Ranger school graduate killed** [**fighting in Ukraine**]() - **Former Navy SEAL under fire for** [**gunshot wound story**]() **used in campaign for Senate** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()