US Secretary of State "Furious over Rocket Attack on US Military Base in Iraq... Demands Truth Investigation"

"Promise to Support Investigation and Punishment of Responsible Parties in the Kurdjacha Government"
Milder Expression Compared to Trump Administration... No Immediate Retaliation Warning

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken demanded the truth regarding the rocket attack on the U.S. military base in Iraq and stated that he received a promise from the Kurdistan Regional Government to identify and punish those responsible. Unlike the Trump administration, he did not mention immediate retaliation, which foreign media analyze as a sign of a shift in the U.S.'s hardline stance.

According to major foreign media including the Associated Press, on the 15th (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said in a statement, "We are outraged by the rocket attack that took place in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," adding, "According to initial reports, one civilian subcontractor was killed, and members of the international coalition, including one U.S. soldier and several subcontractors, were injured. We extend our condolences to the family of the deceased subcontractor and to the people and families of Iraq who suffer from such indiscriminate violence."

He continued, "I contacted Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, to discuss this incident and received a promise of full support for the investigation and punishment of those responsible." This expression is more diplomatic compared to the Trump administration's immediate retaliation warnings when U.S. forces in Iraq were attacked. AFP reported, "Blinken's demand for an investigation in his statement indicates that the Biden administration has shifted direction from the hardline stance of the previous Trump administration."

Earlier that night, a rocket attack targeting the U.S. military base in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, resulted in the death of one civilian, with five other civilians and one U.S. soldier reported injured. The U.S. forces stationed in Iraq stated in a press briefing that the deceased civilian was a subcontractor contracted with the U.S. military. The U.S. military did not disclose the nationality or identity of the deceased but explained that he was not Iraqi.

This is the first attack targeting Western military bases or diplomatic facilities in Iraq in about two months, since the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was attacked on December 20 of last year. It is also reported to be the first attack in the Kurdistan Region in about six months.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.