Rockets fired at Iraq airport, wound two

Nahar Net

7 hours ago

Two rockets struck the military section of Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq late on Monday, slightly wounding two security personnel, a senior security official told AFP.
Another rocket hit a house in the city of Kirkuk, causing material damage.
"Two Katyusha rockets fell in the military section of Kirkuk airport," slightly wounding two security personnel, the senior security official said, adding that one failed to explode.
"A third rocket struck a house in the Uruba neighborhood," causing material damage, said the official, who requested anonymity as he is not allowed to speak to the media.
The military section of the airport hosts Iraqi army units, federal police, and the Hashed al-Shaabi, a coalition of former pro-Iranian paramilitary forces now integrated into the regular armed forces.
A security source told the official INA news agency that one of the rockets landed near the runaways, while another hit a house in the city.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks, which did not disrupt flights.
A few hours later, another senior security source told AFP that Iraq's anti-aircraft defense engaged at least one drone near the key refinery of Baiji in Salaheddin province, and "forced it to leave".
The oil ministry said in a statement that "there have been no incidents caused by falling foreign objects inside or in the vicinity of the refinery", which is still operational.
Iraq has long been a battleground of drone and rocket assaults and proved fertile ground for proxy wars.
But it only recently regained a semblance of stability after decades of devastating conflicts and turmoil.
Last week, hours before a ceasefire ended the 12-day Iran-Israel war, unidentified drones struck radar systems at two military bases in Baghdad and southern Iraq.
The government said it launched a probe into the drone attacks, but it has not yet identified any perpetrators.