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) – A rocket attack in Iraq 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 decisive US response" to a growing number of unclaimed attacks on its interests in Iraq, which it 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.</p><p>Baghdad — which is close to both countries — risks being caught in the middle. </p><p>A barrage of 30 rockets was fired at the K1 Iraqi military base in Kirkuk, an oil-rich region north of Baghdad, around 2220 GMT Friday, a US official told AFP.</p><p>"One US civilian contractor was killed and several US service members and Iraqi personnel were wounded," said the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State group.</p><p>A direct hit on an ammunition depot caused secondary explosions, and four more rockets were found in their tubes in a truck at the launch point, the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.</p><p>Federal security forces, Shiite militia units and IS sleeper cells all have a presence in Kirkuk province, which is claimed by both Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region and federal authorities.</p><p>Following the attack, "an escalation is possible but it is far from certain," said Iraq expert Fanar Haddad at Singapore University’s Middle East Institute. </p><p>"More importantly, anyone pushing for an escalation in (Washington) DC will have to contend with (President Donald) Trump’s aversion to increased military engagement in the Middle East."</p><p></p><p>- Protest paralysis -</p><p></p><p>The attack comes as Iraq is gripped by its biggest anti-government street protests since the US-led invasion of 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.</p><p>Protesters, many of whom grew up 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 about 460 lives, most of them protesters, and left some 25,000 people wounded, but rallies and sit-ins have continued.</p><p>Demonstrators on Saturday blocked a road to an oil field in Nasiriyah, in southern Iraq, halting production for the first time since protests started in early October.</p><p>If sustained, such shut-downs could have a major impact in OPEC’s second largest producer, which depends on oil exports averaging 3.6 million barrels a day.</p><p>The protests forced the resignation of the Iraqi government nearly a month ago. Since then, Iran and its local allies have pushed to select the next prime minister, sparking more anger and threats by the president to quit.</p><p></p><p>- ‘Very accurate’ -</p><p></p><p>The political unrest has coincided with an increase in rocket and mortar attacks against American interests in Iraq.</p><p>Ten attacks since October 28 have left several Iraqi military personnel wounded and one dead and caused damage 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. More than a dozen rockets hit the Qayyarah air base in northern Iraq in November. </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>A US source has said pro-Iran factions in Iraq are now considered a more significant threat to American soldiers than IS, whose sweeping offensive in 2014 saw Washington deploy thousands of troops to the country.</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>US diplomatic and military sources have told AFP of their growing frustration with the recent attacks. </p><p>They say they rely 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.