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2021 Erbil rocket attacks
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2021 Erbil rocket attacks
The 2021 Erbil rocket attacks occurred when multiple rockets were launched against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. On 15 February, approximately fourteen rockets were fired from an area south of the city at around 21:30 local time. Three of the rockets directly hit the U.S.-led coalition base near Erbil International Airport. Two people were killed in the attack, and an additional 13 were injured, including an American service member.
The identity of the attackers was initially unclear, with Iraqi and American authorities launching an investigation to identify the perpetrators. A little-known Shiite armed group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam then claimed responsibility for the attack. Despite this, several Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials and Western analysts blamed Iran and Iranian-backed militias for being behind the attack. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran had been high since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian commander of the Quds Force, in January 2020. Iranian authorities denied and condemned the claims of its involvement in the attacks.
The attack was the worst and deadliest in a year on the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq, and was the first time since late 2020 that Western military or diplomatic installations were targeted in the country. It was the most serious attack on the U.S.-led coalition since the Biden administration took power in January 2021 and sparked fears of escalation. Following the attack, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced that it would increase the size of its forces in Iraq from 500 to around 4,000 personnel. Another attack was carried out on the airport in April 2021.
The rocket attacks took place in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city has typically not seen the same kinds of violence as other parts of Iraq since the 2003 American invasion.
Tensions between the United States and Iran rose in January 2020, during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis, when the Iranian major general and commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and the commander of the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were targeted and killed near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq by an American drone strike. The Trump administration justified the assassination of Soleimani, calling him an "imminent threat", while the Iranian authorities called it an "act of state terrorism". The Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S., while the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said that Iran "will take revenge". A few days later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the Operation Martyr Soleimani, attacking the American airbases in Iraq with ballistic missiles; no U.S. service member was killed, but 110 were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.
Khamenei renewed his vows of avenging Soleimani in December 2020, and anti-American protests erupted in Baghdad in January 2021. The American government reduced its forces taking part in the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR), the official name of the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, to 2,500 by the same month, with most of them being concentrated at the military complex near the Erbil International Airport.
Since 2019, Western military and diplomatic sites and personnel have been targeted by Katyushas, roadside explosives, and sometimes direct fire. Rocket attacks had frequently targeted the American presence in Baghdad, including the U.S. Embassy, as well as convoys ferrying materials for the U.S.-led coalition. The American government had blamed pro-Iranian paramilitary forces for the assaults, but the attacks targeting the Erbil International Airport or the Kurdistan Regional Government were extremely rare, with the February 2021 attack on the civilian airport being the first to strike the area since September 2020.
On 15 February 2021, at around 21:30 local time, approximately fourteen 107mm rockets were launched from an area south of Erbil near the border with Kirkuk Governorate, and three of them struck the section of the airport hosting U.S. and coalition partner forces. Sirens were sounded in the city, and several people were hospitalized. The airport was shut down and flights were halted due to safety concerns, while the Kurdish authorities cautioned Erbil's residents to stay away from targeted areas and to remain at home if possible.
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2021 Erbil rocket attacks
The 2021 Erbil rocket attacks occurred when multiple rockets were launched against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. On 15 February, approximately fourteen rockets were fired from an area south of the city at around 21:30 local time. Three of the rockets directly hit the U.S.-led coalition base near Erbil International Airport. Two people were killed in the attack, and an additional 13 were injured, including an American service member.
The identity of the attackers was initially unclear, with Iraqi and American authorities launching an investigation to identify the perpetrators. A little-known Shiite armed group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam then claimed responsibility for the attack. Despite this, several Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials and Western analysts blamed Iran and Iranian-backed militias for being behind the attack. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran had been high since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian commander of the Quds Force, in January 2020. Iranian authorities denied and condemned the claims of its involvement in the attacks.
The attack was the worst and deadliest in a year on the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq, and was the first time since late 2020 that Western military or diplomatic installations were targeted in the country. It was the most serious attack on the U.S.-led coalition since the Biden administration took power in January 2021 and sparked fears of escalation. Following the attack, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced that it would increase the size of its forces in Iraq from 500 to around 4,000 personnel. Another attack was carried out on the airport in April 2021.
The rocket attacks took place in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city has typically not seen the same kinds of violence as other parts of Iraq since the 2003 American invasion.
Tensions between the United States and Iran rose in January 2020, during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis, when the Iranian major general and commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and the commander of the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were targeted and killed near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq by an American drone strike. The Trump administration justified the assassination of Soleimani, calling him an "imminent threat", while the Iranian authorities called it an "act of state terrorism". The Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S., while the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said that Iran "will take revenge". A few days later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the Operation Martyr Soleimani, attacking the American airbases in Iraq with ballistic missiles; no U.S. service member was killed, but 110 were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.
Khamenei renewed his vows of avenging Soleimani in December 2020, and anti-American protests erupted in Baghdad in January 2021. The American government reduced its forces taking part in the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR), the official name of the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, to 2,500 by the same month, with most of them being concentrated at the military complex near the Erbil International Airport.
Since 2019, Western military and diplomatic sites and personnel have been targeted by Katyushas, roadside explosives, and sometimes direct fire. Rocket attacks had frequently targeted the American presence in Baghdad, including the U.S. Embassy, as well as convoys ferrying materials for the U.S.-led coalition. The American government had blamed pro-Iranian paramilitary forces for the assaults, but the attacks targeting the Erbil International Airport or the Kurdistan Regional Government were extremely rare, with the February 2021 attack on the civilian airport being the first to strike the area since September 2020.
On 15 February 2021, at around 21:30 local time, approximately fourteen 107mm rockets were launched from an area south of Erbil near the border with Kirkuk Governorate, and three of them struck the section of the airport hosting U.S. and coalition partner forces. Sirens were sounded in the city, and several people were hospitalized. The airport was shut down and flights were halted due to safety concerns, while the Kurdish authorities cautioned Erbil's residents to stay away from targeted areas and to remain at home if possible.
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