The United States on Thursday blamed Iran-backed groups as it said American and allied forces in Iraq and Syria had been attacked at least 16 times this month.
The latest attack took place in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-ruled region in northern Iraq on Thursday, causing "no casualties" and "some minor damage to infrastructure," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder told journalists.
Since Oct. 17, "U.S. and coalition forces have been attacked at least 12 separate times in Iraq (and) four separate times in Syria," Ryder said, referring to the international coalition against the Daesh terrorist group.
The attacks were carried out with "a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets," he said.
"We know that these are Iranian-backed militia groups that are supported by Iran and of course we hold Iran responsible for these groups," Ryder said of who is behind the attacks.
American forces in the Middle East are facing a spike in attacks linked to the latest conflict between Israel and Palestine, which began when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas carried out a surprise cross-border attack on Oct. 7.
Israel's relentless bombardment has killed more than 7,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials – deaths that have sparked widespread anger across the Middle East.
Israeli officials say the Hamas operation killed more than 1,400 people.
There are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of Daesh.
