During a period of political chaos, the country has also seen a rise of rocket and mortar attacks against Iraqi bases housing US soldiers (Delil SOULEIMAN)
<p>Baghdad (AFP) – New rocket attacks in Iraq have killed a US civilian contractor, raising fears on Saturday that violence could escalate in the protest-hit country already engulfed in its worst political crisis in decades.</p><p>Washington recently promised "a firm response" to a growing number of attacks on its interests in Iraq, for which no one has claimed responsibility but which Washington blames on pro-Iran factions.</p><p>US-Iran tensions have soared since Washington pulled out of a landmark nuclear agreement with Tehran last year and imposed crippling sanctions, leaving Baghdad — which is close to both countries — worried about being caught in the middle. </p><p>In the latest attack, 30 rockets were fired at the K1 Iraqi military base in Kirkuk, an oil-rich region north of Baghdad, at 2220 GMT Friday, a US official told AFP in Washington.</p><p>"One US civilian contractor was killed and several US service members and Iraqi personnel were wounded," the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State group said.</p><p>A direst hit on an ammunition depot caused secondary explosions, and four more rockets were found in their tubes in a truck at the launch point, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.</p><p>Federal security forces, Shiite militia units and Islamic State group sleeper cells all have a presence in volatile Kirkuk province, which is claimed by both Iraq’s Kurdistan and federal authorities.</p><p></p><p>- Rockets and mortars -</p><p></p><p>The attacks come at a time when Iraq is gripped by its biggest wave of anti-government street protests since the US-led invasion of 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.</p><p>The protesters, many of whom were born in the post-Saddam era, have vented their anger at a government they consider inept, corrupt and beholden to neighbouring Iran.</p><p>Violence has claimed nearly 460 lives, most of them protesters, and left some 25,000 people wounded, but the street rallies and sit-in protests have continued.</p><p>The protests led to the resignation of the Iraqi government nearly a month ago, and Iran and its allies in Iraq have since been pushing to place one of their men in the post of prime minister, sparking more popular anger. </p><p>The president is now threatening to quit in the face of this pressure.</p><p>During the period of wider political chaos, the country has also seen a rise of rocket and mortar attacks against Iraqi bases housing US soldiers and against American diplomatic missions.</p><p>Ten attacks since October 28 have left several Iraqi military personnel wounded and one dead and caused damage to the area around the US Embassy in Baghdad’s ultra-secure Green Zone.</p><p>Five rockets hit Al-Asad air base on December 3, just four days after US Vice President Mike Pence visited troops there. </p><p>And more than a dozen rockets hit the Qayyarah air base in northern Iraq in November. </p><p></p><p>- ‘Very accurate’ -</p><p></p><p>In Friday’s attack, a Kirkuk provincial security official told AFP, "the shots were very accurate. The attack was aimed precisely at the area where the Americans are located, near the meeting room."</p><p>The rockets could also have been much more deadly, had it not been for recent poor weather that has led to delays in anti-IS operations and the postponement of a meeting scheduled for Friday on these missions, according to the Iraqi police. </p><p>A US source has said that pro-Iran factions in Iraq are now considered a more significant threat to American soldiers than the IS — the threat that saw Washington deploy thousands of troops to the country to assist Baghdad in countering the jihadists’ sweeping 2014 offensive.</p><p>Reflecting this concern, "a convoy of 15 American vehicles each carrying armour and weapons" recently arrived at the US embassy in Baghdad, according to an Iraqi security official. </p><p>Multiple US diplomatic and military sources have told AFP of their growing frustration with such attacks. </p><p>They say they are relying on their Iraqi partners to play a "de-conflicting" role between American forces and the Hashed al-Shaabi, an umbrella organisation for paramilitary groups largely made up of Iran-backed Shiite militias.</p><p>That is a complicated task, as the Hashed has been ordered to integrate with the regular security forces, but many of its fighters continue to operate with a degree of independence. </p><p></p>

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.