US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab discussed on the phone the rocket attack on the Iraqi Taji Camp military base hosting US-led coalition forces, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. The attack reportedly resulted in the death of two American and one British personnel, with 12 others wounded.
The two officials condemned the deadly attack on coalition personnel and agreed to hold accountable those responsible for the attack.
.@SecPompeo and @DominicRaab spoke today about the attack on Camp Taji military base, which resulted in several casualties. The United States condemns the deadly attacks against Coalition personnel. pic.twitter.com/GvPfxsRQRC
— Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) March 12, 2020
“Today’s deadly attack on Iraq’s Camp Taji military base will not be tolerated. @DominicRaab and I agree – those responsible must be held accountable,” Pompeo tweeted on Wednesday.
Today’s deadly attack on Iraq’s Camp Taji military base will not be tolerated. @DominicRaab and I agree – those responsible must be held accountable.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 12, 2020
Earlier in the day, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the attack and said it was “deplorable”. He suggested that the coalition servicemen were working “to uphold security and stability” in the Middle East.
“We will continue to liaise with our international partners to fully understand the details of this abhorrent attack,” Johnson said.
On late Wednesday, media reported that US jets had conducted airstrikes on a base of the Iraqi Shia Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Iraqi province of Anbar near the border with Syria.
The reported strikes followed the attack against Iraq's Camp Taji, located roughly 17 miles north of Baghdad. According to a coalition statement, some 18 107-millimeter Katyusha rockets were used.
The attack came shortly following news that the US would be moving air and missile defence systems into Iraq to defend against what the Pentagon described as ballistic missile and drone threats in the region.
