Katyusha rocket hits street in Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A Katyusha rocket hit the street of Abu Nuwas near al-Rusafa district in Baghdad on Wednesday, according to Iraqi security sources.

While no details appeared yet about the casualties or the damages caused by the attack, Iraqi security forces massively deployed in the site where it took place.

The attack comes after another one struck Ain al-Asad air base that hosts American and international forces about 160 kilometers northwest of Baghdad last Saturday. According to what the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported at that time, the attack caused no losses.

Additionally, a Katyusha rocket attack hit an oil refinery in Erbil, the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on Sunday last week, resulting in setting one of the refinery’s tanks on fire, but was controlled by Iraqi fire brigade later.

The same refinery was also attacked by three Katyusha rockets on April 6.

In March, Iran bombarded Erbil with more than ten ballistic missiles in a first of its kind aggression against the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region. According to Reuters, the attack seemed to be targeting the United States and its allies.

The Iraqi capital witnessed several similar attacks during the past years, particularly the Green Zone that has the embassy of the United States and many governmental institutions.

The same kind of missiles, often used by militias loyal to Tehran over the past few years, had targeted military bases of American soldiers and others belong to the international coalition.

The United States accuses militias backed by Iran of being involved in these attacks which are limited to material damages.

These attacks started to intensify since 2018 in spite of the parliament decision that stipulated on the withdrawal of most of the US forces from the Iraqi territories, while the few remaining forces were assigned to military training and consultancies.