Mortar attack targets Iraqi air base where US troops are stationed

Iraq’s military announced late Friday that an air base where US troops are stationed was hit by mortar shells in an attack that resulted in no casualties.

Iraq’s military announced late Friday that an air base where US troops are stationed was hit by mortar shells in an attack that resulted in no casualties.

Balad Air Base is located in Salahuddin Province, about 65 kilometers north of Baghdad, and housed international coalition aircraft and Iraqi F-16s in the war against ISIS.

According to a brief statement released by Iraq’s Security Media Cell, three mortars landed inside the strategic base, setting ablaze dry grass.

“The fire was extinguished without any human damage,” it added.

Balad is one of the country’s largest air bases with an estimated area of 25 square kilometers and surrounded by 20 kilometers of security perimeter.

Officials said that American soldiers are still stationed at the base as advisers within the international coalition which continues to aid Iraqi security forces in the fight against the Islamic State’s ongoing insurgency.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.