Three killed in Camp Taji rocket attack; no Australian casualties

Three killed in Camp Taji rocket attack; no Australian casualties Rockets have been fired by unknown attackers at Camp Taji in Iraq, killing three members of the international coalition stationed there. In addition, a further 12 personnel were wounded during the attack, according to a news release issued by Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) which oversees operations in the region against the Islamic State. The nationality or identity of the casualties have not been released pending notification of next-of-kin, although Reuters, citing “U.S. officials”, reported that the dead were two Americans and a British national. In a statement, Defence has confirmed that the rocket attack, which is the latest of several to have struck the base in recent months, caused “no Australian casualties, with all Australian Defence Force personnel confirmed as being safe”. CJTF-OIR said that “approximately 18 107mm Katyusha” rockets were launched at the base in this latest attack, with Iraqi security forces later finding a rocket-rigged truck “a few miles” away. It added that the attack is under investigation by the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. Camp Taji, which located northwest of Iraq’s capital Baghdad, is a sprawling Iraqi base that hosts Coalition personnel for training and advising missions. These include Task Group Taji, a combined Australian-New Zealand military training force whose role is supporting an international effort to train and build the capacity of the regular Iraqi Security Forces.