US gunship strikes back at Iran-linked militants who injured several US troops in Iraq
The Pentagon believes the counterstrike killed several Iran-linked militants.
ByMatthew Seyler
November 21, 2023, 1:47 PM
The U.S. military fired back at Iran-backed militants who injured several troops in Iraq on Monday, according to U.S. officials.
The militants launched a missile attack from a truck against U.S. forces at al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq, leaving several service members with minor injuries, according to U.S. officials.
An American AC-130 gunship that was airborne in the region at the time observed the attack and tracked the militants' vehicle and then fired back. The U.S. assesses several of the Iran-linked fighters were killed in the swift counterstrike.
An AC-130U Gunship from the 4th Special Operations Squadron flies a local training mission on Jan. 27, 2011, at Hurlburt Field, Fla.U.S. Air Force
MORE: US launches 3rd strikes on Iran-linked groups amid attacks on American soldiers: Officials
MORE: US Reaper drone shot down near Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, defense official says
The missile attack on al-Asad is the 66th such attack from Iran proxies against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, when a near-daily spate of aggression began. Roughly 70 U.S. troops have received minor injuries or traumatic brain injuries in that time, according to the Pentagon.
An AC-130U Gunship from the 4th Special Operations Squadron flies over the range firing its 105mm gun during a local training mission, Jan. 27, 2011, at Hurlburt Field, Fla.U.S. Air Force
Last week, U.S. fighter jets hit a weapons storage facility and a command-and-control center in Syria that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and other officials said were used by the Iran-backed groups to conduct its attacks. The U.S. launched two other rounds of similar retaliatory airstrikes since mid-October on Iran-linked facilities, but unlike Monday's AC-130 counterattack, these were planned in advance, as opposed to being targeted in real time.
The U.S. has troops in Iraq and Syria as part of its mission to defeat the remnants of the Islamic State.
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