Rockets fired at Iraq airport, 2 wounded – security official

This picture taken on September 5, 2023 shows an aerial view of the area surrounding Kirkuk Olympic Stadium in Iraq’s multi-ethnic northern city of Kirkuk, disputed between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad. Thousands of people carrying flags of Iraqi Kurdistan demonstrated on September 5 in the autonomous region over unpaid civil service salaries which they blamed on Baghdad. The protest occurred in a region where activists usually accuse local Kurdistan authorities of repressing any sign of dissent. (Photo by AFP)

KIRKUK, Iraq — 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 fell on 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 official said, requesting anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media.

One rocket did not explode, according to the official.

“A third rocket struck a house in the Uruba neighborhood,” causing material damage, the source added.

The military sector of Kirkuk’s airport includes bases for the Iraqi Army, the 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 two rockets struck the military airbase at Kirkuk airport, one of which fell near the runaways, and another hit a house in the city.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks.

Iraq has long been a battleground of drone and rocket assaults and a fertile land 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.

READ: Drones hit radar systems at Iraqi military bases

The government said it launched a probe into the drone attacks, but it has not yet identified any perpetrators.