BICOM

What happened: A rocket attack last night on the Taji military base north of Baghdad in Iraq killed one British soldier and two Americans as well as injuring 12 other British and US personnel.

• A US military official told the New York Times that 30 107-mm Katyusha rockets were fired at the base from improvised truck launchers. Of those, 18 landed inside the base.
• According to US Spokesperson Navy Capt Bill Urban, five of the wounded were evacuated in a serious condition.
• The Times reported this morning that the US led coalition responded with airstrikes on facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah near Abu Kamal over the border in Syria. A base of the Hashed al-Shaabi network was attacked and 18 fighters were reportedly killed.
• The Ministry of Defence said the British soldier killed was a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the attack was “deplorable” and added that: “The foreign secretary has spoken to the US secretary of state and we will continue to liaise with our international partners to fully understand the details of this abhorrent attack.” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace called the attack a “cowardly and retrograde act…we shall not forget their sacrifice and will ensure those who committed these acts face justice.”

Context: The attack resembles a similar strike at the end of December that killed a US contractor in Iraq. This was one of the triggers that led to the US assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassam Suleimani in early January.

• No one has yet taken responsibility for last night’s attack, but following the December attack the US blamed Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian backed Shiite proxy.
• Two weeks ago ,the leader of Kataib Hezbollah renewed his threats against the US presence in Iraq and said that their restrained approach would end in mid March.
• After the US airstrikes on Kataib Hezbollah in December and the subsequent assassination of Suleimani the Iraqi Parliament voted to expel US forces, however, they remain at the Iraqi government’s request. The UK has 400 troops in the region operating alongside US forces.
• On Sunday, two US soldiers were killed during a raid on an ISIS hideout in the Qarachogh mountains of central Iraq.

Looking ahead: British and US forces in the Taji base were training Iraqi security forces. One Iraqi commander told the Times this was the 22nd attack on allied forces since October.

• The allied coalition is committed to assisting Iraqi forces in the continued fight against ISIS and there are no immediate plans to change their deployment but the ease with which the base came under attack will raise serious questions about security and the increasing willingness of Shia militias to attack US and UK forces.