Even for a regime that rejoices in reckless endangerment — of its own people, of regional stability, and of the world order — Iran’s proxy strike on a military base near Baghdad last night was exceptionally rash. Two Americans and a Briton have reportedly been killed by the rockets that struck Camp Taji; the number of Iraqi casualties is not yet known.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has defined the taking of American lives as a red line, is now obliged to strike back. After the last major Iranian attack, he repeatedly downplayed the head trauma inflicted on U.S. soldiers as mere headaches, saying that he had “stopped something that would have been very devastating for them” because none of the soldiers had been killed.
This time it will be hard for the president to argue that the deaths of two Americans don’t merit retaliation. The only question is when, where and upon whom Trump’s retribution will descend.
We should assume—or hope—Trump will not carry through on his mindless Twitter threat to strike at Iranian cultural sites, “VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.” (Boldface, his.) But even if the punishment is inflicted on Iraqi Shiite militias that act as Iranian proxies in Iraq, there is a substantial risk of escalation.
US-led coalition airstrikes are underway against multiple Iranian-backed militia sites in Iraq, according to a US official.
The strikes come one day after the US assessed an Iranian-backed group was responsible for a rocket attack on a base where coalition forces are located, killing two American service members and one British service member. Fox News was first to report on the strike.
A barrage of rockets hit a base housing U.S. and other coalition troops north of Baghdad, Iraqi security officials said Saturday. The attack occurred just days after a similar attack killed three servicemen, including two Americans.
At least two Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the attack at Camp Taji, according to the Iraqi officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The officials said over a dozen rockets landed inside the base. Some struck the area where coalition forces are based, while others fell on a runway used by Iraqi forces. The was no immediate comment from the coalition regarding Saturday's attack.
