At least one injured in rocket strike at Iraqi military base

At least one person was injured in a rocket strike at an Iraqi military base in the northern part of the country that houses U.S. forces.

Officials told The Associated Press and Reuters that at least four rockets struck the Balad air base in Salahaddin province. One official told the AP that the wounded person is South African, and another official told Reuters the person’s injuries are not life-threatening. 

U.S. defense company Sallyport has its headquarters within the air base and services combat aircraft there, including F-16 jets. 

It was not immediately clear from the news outlets’ reports who was responsible for the rocket strike. 

Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.’s military mission in Iraq, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

The rocket attack comes less than a week after more than a dozen projectiles were fired at coalition forces near Erbil in northern Iraq, which is controlled by Kurdish forces. One non-U.S. contractor was killed in the strike, which is believed to have been launched by a pro-Iranian militia. 

U.S. troops have gradually withdrawn from Iraq, but NATO announced this week it was ramping up its footprint from 500 troops to 4,000 to tackle the remaining fighters loyal to ISIS. The terrorist group has lost its geographic foothold in Iraq and Syria, but pockets of the group continue to launch deadly attacks.