Nasser Nasser/AP
U.S. officials said Iranian-backed militants attacked an air base in western Iraq, wounding an unknown number of U.S. troops and at least one Iraqi soldier.
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that a barrage of missiles and rockets targeted the Ain al-Assad base on Saturday evening.
According to the military, most of the missiles were intercepted by the base's air defense system, but countless missiles hit the base where Americans and Iraqis were stationed. Damage assessment is ongoing.
CENTCOM said “many” U.S. military personnel were being evaluated for traumatic brain injuries, but did not specify how many.
Last month, a drone attack on a base in northern Iraq injured three U.S. soldiers, one of them seriously. The United States responded with airstrikes, saying it was highly likely that they destroyed facilities in Iraq and killed many Kataib Hezbollah militants.
The attack is the latest in a series of attacks between Iran-linked groups and U.S. forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked a deadly war in the Gaza Strip. Since then, the United States has warned of a bigger war in the region. Hamas is part of a regional alliance backed by Iran and loosely united in resistance to Western powers and Israel.
NPR's Tom Bowman contributed to this report.