KarlaMercado
US troops at Iraq's Al-Asad base knew Iran was about to ambush and took to the bunker to shelter before the first missile strikes.
Most troops left the base or took shelter in the bunkers at 7pm on January 7 before the first four sets of missiles landed at Ain Al-Asad air base in Iraq at 1:34 on January 8, US officers said during a press conference to visit CNN journalists on 11/1. This is the first time US troops in Al-Asad have detailed the attack.
A bunker bunker of US troops at Al-Asad base, Iraq on 11/1 Photo: CNN
The raid lasted about two hours, targeting only US regions, which account for about a quarter of the base. Officers call it a "miracle" when no one is killed. The rocket landed just a few meters away from the bunker, when several key personnel were still outside.
The US military knows there will be an attack on the base, they just don't know what the nature of the attack will be.
Al-Asad Air Base is one of two US bases in Iraq that has been ambushed by Iran in retaliation for General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in an American drone strike in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said Iran had "verbally" informed Iraq that an attack "had begun or would start immediately" on US military bases, but did not specify a specific location.
Lieutenant Colonel Staci Colemsan stood next to the big pit caused by Iranian missiles at Al-Asad base on January 11 Photo: CNN
A Saudi diplomatic source said Iraq had warned the United States of "which base will be attacked" after Iranian officials informed it. The second attack in Al-Asad took place 15 minutes after the first attack. The next two missiles were launched two hours later at another US base in the city of Irbil.
In the morning, the officers left the bunker to determine the extent of damage after the Iranian ambush. The hangars located next to the runway serving light aircraft of the base were hit by missiles. Experts predict that some of the US CV-22 helicopters in the brothel could be damaged or destroyed. One rocket struck the taxiway in the southeast area, another rocket rushed down the runway in the middle of the apartment.
The Al-Asad Air Base, home to the US military and the self-proclaimed coalition against the Islamic State (IS), is one of the largest and oldest military bases in Iraq. The base is located in Anbar province, an IS hotspot in western Iraq between 2014 and 2017. US President Donald Trump visited the base in December 2018. A year later, Vice President Mike Pence also came to this base to welcome Thanksgiving with the soldiers.
