No U.S. troops were hurt in shelling at the base, which is being used to prepare an attack to retake Mosul from Islamic State, CNN said.
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TIKRIT, Iraq Iraq’s military backed by air strikes from a USA -led coalition on Thursday seized the centre of Shirqat, a northern town seen as a stepping stone in the campaign to recapture Mosul from Islamic State.
The top US military officer confirmed Thursday that Islamic State militants targeted a military base in Iraq where USA troops were stationed with a potentially deadly chemical weapon this week.
US officials had said Wednesday that an oily substance found on a fragment of the rocket that landed inside the security perimeter of the base initially tested positive for mustard agent, but that a second test was negative.
After the rocket exploded in the base, the explosive ordinance team responded to assess the munition.
“We also continue to aggressively attack ISIL’s economic infrastructure, oil wells, tanker trucks, cache storage and more”, he said, adding: “We continue to ensure that U.S., coalition, and Iraqi troops are vigilantly protected from that threat”. The defense officials said American troops were several hundred yards from where the shell landed. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian told reporters on September 13 that the target was an Islamic State headquarters also used to produce lethal chemicals, possibly including chlorine and mustard gas. The poor quality of the chemical agent could give a negative test result. The fragment has been sent to a laboratory for further testing, the official said.
None of the USA forces that came into contact with the shell have shown any signs of injury or contamination, such as blistering, the defense official said.
Dunford made no mention of the USA presence on the Qayara West base, but an official on Wednesday said “hundreds” of US troops are there helping the Iraq security forces prepare for a coming offensive in Mosul.
The base is regularly targeted with indirect fire, the official said.
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Most U.S. troops will be deployed near Qayyarah, where hundreds of U.S forces have gathered in recent months after it was seized from Islamic State control in July.
