Unconfirmed reports have indicated that the target of the strike was reportedly the US embassy; however, the projectiles are believed to have struck buildings in the al-Jadriya area.
Photos shared online by Iraqi officials documents various structural damages to buildings in the al-Jadriya neighborhood. One of the structures was identified as an "abandoned home."
— خلية الإعلام الأمني🇮🇶 (@SecMedCell) March 17, 2020
Two of the rockets landed in al-Jadriya and a third landed in the Tigris River, according to a translated tweet from Iraqi officials.
— Liveuamap MiddleEast (@lummideast) March 17, 2020
Citing security sources, AFP reporter Maya Gebeily reported that the incident did not cause any damages to the "US embassy or other diplomatic missions."
Col. Myles Caggins, spokesperson for the US' Operation Inherent Resolve, told the Associated Press that rockets, of which there were at least three, landed roughly 2 kilometers from the American embassy.
The spokesperson later took to Twitter and disputed reports that strikes were carried out on Camp Taji.
— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) March 17, 2020
The latest incident comes just one day after a pair of rockets hit the Basmaya base, an Iraqi base hosting US-led coalition and NATO troops. The strike marked the third such attack on military installations hosing foreign forces.
The renewed spike in rocket launches in the region comes after a slew of rockets deployed on Camp Taji last week claimed the lives of multiple service members stationed at the Iraqi base.
