2021 Erbil rocket attacks

{{Short description|Missile attacks on Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq}}

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = 2021 Erbil rocket attacks

| location = Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

| date = 15 February 2021, 9:30{{nbsp}}p.m. (local time, UTC+3)

| partof = 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis

| image = Arbil in Iraq.svg

| caption = Location of Erbil

| target = Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve

| type = Rocket attack

| weapons =

| fatalities = 1 U.S.-led coalition contractor dead{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/investigators-probe-rocket-attack-on-u-s-military-base-in-northern-iraq-11613486554|title=Investigators Probe Iraq Rocket Attack on U.S. Military Base in Erbil|date=16 February 2021|access-date=26 February 2021|work=The Wall Street Journal|archive-date=29 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629035545/https://www.wsj.com/articles/investigators-probe-rocket-attack-on-u-s-military-base-in-northern-iraq-11613486554|url-status=live}}
1 Kurdish civilian dead
Total: 2

| injuries = 5 contractors, 1 US soldier and 2 Kurdish civilians
Total: 8

| perpetrator = Saraya Awliya al-Dam (claimed)

| motive = Opposition to the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF)

}}

The 2021 Erbil rocket attacks occurred when multiple rockets were launched against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. On 15 February, approximately fourteen rockets were fired from an area south of the city at around 21:30 local time. Three of the rockets directly hit the U.S.-led coalition base near Erbil International Airport. Two people were killed in the attack, and an additional 13 were injured, including an American service member.

The identity of the attackers was initially unclear, with Iraqi and American authorities launching an investigation to identify the perpetrators. A little-known Shiite armed group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam then claimed responsibility for the attack. Despite this, several Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials and Western analysts blamed Iran and Iranian-backed militias for being behind the attack. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran had been high since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian commander of the Quds Force, in January 2020. Iranian authorities denied and condemned the claims of its involvement in the attacks.

The attack was the worst and deadliest in a year on the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq, and was the first time since late 2020 that Western military or diplomatic installations were targeted in the country. It was the most serious attack on the U.S.-led coalition since the Biden administration took power in January 2021 and sparked fears of escalation. Following the attack, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced that it would increase the size of its forces in Iraq from 500 to around 4,000 personnel. Another attack was carried out on the airport in April 2021.

Background

File:Mike Pence with the troops in Erbil Air Base.jpg Mike Pence visiting the U.S. air base near the airport in 2019]]

The rocket attacks took place in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city has typically not seen the same kinds of violence as other parts of Iraq since the 2003 American invasion.

Tensions between the United States and Iran rose in January 2020, during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis, when the Iranian major general and commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and the commander of the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were targeted and killed near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq by an American drone strike.{{Cite web |first=Yuliya |last=Talmazan |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-iran-tensions-simmer-thousands-protest-soleimani-s-killing-n1252683 |title=U.S., Iran tensions simmer as thousands protest Soleimani's killing in Iraq |date=3 January 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=NBC News |archive-date=17 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317193231/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-iran-tensions-simmer-thousands-protest-soleimani-s-killing-n1252683 |url-status=live }} The Trump administration justified the assassination of Soleimani, calling him an "imminent threat",{{Cite web |first=Joseph |last=Stepansky |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/19/timeline-of-trumps-shifting-justifications-for-soleimani-killing |title=Timeline of Trump's shifting justifications for Soleimani killing |date=19 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Al Jazeera |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026014016/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/19/timeline-of-trumps-shifting-justifications-for-soleimani-killing |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |first=Tim |last=Dickinson |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/no-imminent-threat-official-justification-soleimani-953897/ |title=No Imminent Threat from Iran: Official Justification for Killing Soleimani Doesn't Back Trump Claims |date=18 February 2020 |access-date=19 February 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307005336/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/no-imminent-threat-official-justification-soleimani-953897/ |url-status=live }} while the Iranian authorities called it an "act of state terrorism".{{Cite web |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/449837/Iran-slams-Soleimani-assassination-as-act-of-state-terrorism |title=Iran slams Soleimani assassination as 'act of state terrorism' |date=10 July 2020 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Tehran Times |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131051007/https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/449837/Iran-slams-Soleimani-assassination-as-act-of-state-terrorism |url-status=live }} The Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S.,{{Cite web |first=Ryan |last=Pickrell |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-slams-us-strike-on-top-iranian-general-qasem-soleimani-2020-1 |title=Iran's supreme leader warns a 'harsh retaliation is waiting' for the US, after an American airstrike killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani |date=3 January 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Business Insider |archive-date=4 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104023905/https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-slams-us-strike-on-top-iranian-general-qasem-soleimani-2020-1 |url-status=live }} while the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said that Iran "will take revenge".{{Cite web |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-president-hassan-rouhani-says-will-take-revenge-from-us-for-qasem-soleimani-killing-2158139 |title=Will Take "Revenge" Against US For Commander's Killing: Iran President |date=3 January 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Agence France-Presse |via=NDTV |archive-date=26 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926230225/https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-president-hassan-rouhani-says-will-take-revenge-from-us-for-qasem-soleimani-killing-2158139 |url-status=live }} A few days later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the Operation Martyr Soleimani, attacking the American airbases in Iraq with ballistic missiles;{{Cite web |first1=Luis |last1=Martinez |first2=Elizabeth |last2=McLaughlin |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/iran-launches-missiles-us-air-bases-iraq-us/story?id=68130625 |title=Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq, Pentagon confirms |date=8 January 2020 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=ABC News |archive-date=7 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107233750/https://abcnews.go.com/International/iran-launches-missiles-us-air-bases-iraq-us/story?id=68130625 |url-status=live }} no U.S. service member was killed, but 110 were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.{{Cite web |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200222-number-of-us-troops-wounded-in-iran-attack-now-at-110-pentagon |title=Number of US troops wounded in Iran attack now at 110: Pentagon |date=22 February 2020 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Agence France-Presse |via=France 24 |archive-date=28 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228221927/https://www.france24.com/en/20200222-number-of-us-troops-wounded-in-iran-attack-now-at-110-pentagon |url-status=live }}

Khamenei renewed his vows of avenging Soleimani in December 2020,{{Cite web |first=Maziar |last=Motamedi |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/16/khamenei-renews-revenge-vow-before-soleimani-killing-anniversary |title=Khamenei renews revenge vow as Soleimani death anniversary nears |date=16 December 2020 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Al Jazeera |archive-date=28 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828190931/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/16/khamenei-renews-revenge-vow-before-soleimani-killing-anniversary |url-status=live }} and anti-American protests erupted in Baghdad in January 2021. The American government reduced its forces taking part in the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR), the official name of the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria,{{Cite web |first=Joseph |last=Trevithick |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39266/contractor-for-u-s-led-coalition-dead-u-s-serviceperson-injured-after-rocket-attack-in-iraq |title=Contractor For U.S.-Led Coalition Dead, U.S. Serviceperson Injured After Rocket Attack In Iraq (Updated) |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=The Drive |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415142415/https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39266/contractor-for-u-s-led-coalition-dead-u-s-serviceperson-injured-after-rocket-attack-in-iraq |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |first=Ahmet |last=Gencturk |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/coalition-forces-announce-casualties-in-attack-on-erbil-airport/2146130 |title=Coalition forces announce casualties in attack on Erbil airport |date=16 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Anadolu Agency |archive-date=15 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215230056/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/coalition-forces-announce-casualties-in-attack-on-erbil-airport/2146130 |url-status=live }} to 2,500 by the same month,{{Cite web |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/middle-east_us-cuts-troops-iraq-25/6200779.html |title=US Cuts Troops in Iraq to 2,500 |date=15 January 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Voice of America |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508203923/https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/us-cuts-troops-iraq-2500 |url-status=live }} with most of them being concentrated at the military complex near the Erbil International Airport.

Since 2019, Western military and diplomatic sites and personnel have been targeted by Katyushas, roadside explosives, and sometimes direct fire. Rocket attacks had frequently targeted the American presence in Baghdad, including the U.S. Embassy, as well as convoys ferrying materials for the U.S.-led coalition. The American government had blamed pro-Iranian paramilitary forces for the assaults, but the attacks targeting the Erbil International Airport or the Kurdistan Regional Government were extremely rare,{{Cite web |first1=Bethan |last1=McKernan |first2=Julian |last2=Borger |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/16/rocket-attack-us-airbase-iraq-kills-civilian-contractor |title=Rocket attack on US airbase in Iraq kills civilian contractor |date=16 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029150603/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/16/rocket-attack-us-airbase-iraq-kills-civilian-contractor |url-status=live }} with the February 2021 attack on the civilian airport being the first to strike the area since September 2020.

Attacks

On 15 February 2021, at around 21:30 local time,{{Cite web |first=Qassim |last=Abdul-Zahra |url=https://time.com/5939660/iraq-rocket-attack-us-base/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216045213/https://time.com/5939660/iraq-rocket-attack-us-base/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2021 |title=1 Killed, 8 Wounded in Rocket Attack on U.S. Base in Iraq |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Time Magazine}} approximately fourteen 107mm rockets{{Cite web |first=Nolan |last=Peterson |url=https://coffeeordie.com/americans-injured-rocket-attack/ |title=American injured after Shiite militants launch rocket attack at Iraqi base |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Coffee or Die |publisher=Black Rifle Coffee Company |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306185049/https://coffeeordie.com/americans-injured-rocket-attack/ |url-status=live }} were launched from an area south of Erbil near the border with Kirkuk Governorate, and three of them struck the section of the airport hosting U.S. and coalition partner forces.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/150220211 |title=Multiple rockets fired at Erbil |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Rudaw Media Network |archive-date=19 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219012846/https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/150220211 |url-status=live }} Sirens were sounded in the city, and several people were hospitalized.{{Cite web |last=Fordham |first=Alice |date=15 February 2021 |title=Rockets Kill Civilian Contractor, Injure U.S. Service Member, Others In Erbil, Iraq |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968182912/rockets-kill-civilian-contractor-injure-u-s-service-member-others-in-erbil-iraq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101091146/https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968182912/rockets-kill-civilian-contractor-injure-u-s-service-member-others-in-erbil-iraq |archive-date=1 November 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=NPR}} The airport was shut down and flights were halted due to safety concerns, while the Kurdish authorities cautioned Erbil's residents to stay away from targeted areas and to remain at home if possible.{{Cite web |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/15/Mortars-land-near-Erbil-airport-Iraqi-Kurdish-security-sources-say |title=Mortars land near Erbil airport, Iraqi Kurdish security sources say |date=February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Al Arabiya |archive-date=15 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215195703/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/15/Mortars-land-near-Erbil-airport-Iraqi-Kurdish-security-sources-say |url-status=live }}

Eight people were wounded during the attack{{Cite news |first=Qassim |last=Abdul-Zahra |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/iraq-officials-rockets-strike-outside-airport-near-us-base/2021/02/15/7dcee010-6fc5-11eb-8651-6d3091eac63f_story.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210219161917/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/iraq-officials-rockets-strike-outside-airport-near-us-base/2021/02/15/7dcee010-6fc5-11eb-8651-6d3091eac63f_story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 February 2021 |title=Rockets strike near US base in Iraq, killing 1, wounding 8 |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{Cite web |date=16 February 2021 |title=Investigators Probe Iraq Rocket Attack on U.S. Military Base in Erbil |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/investigators-probe-rocket-attack-on-u-s-military-base-in-northern-iraq-11613486554 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629035545/https://www.wsj.com/articles/investigators-probe-rocket-attack-on-u-s-military-base-in-northern-iraq-11613486554 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}{{Cite web |last=Fordham |first=Alice |date=15 February 2021 |title=Rockets Kill Civilian Contractor, Injure U.S. Service Member, Others In Erbil, Iraq |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968182912/rockets-kill-civilian-contractor-injure-u-s-service-member-others-in-erbil-iraq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101091146/https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968182912/rockets-kill-civilian-contractor-injure-u-s-service-member-others-in-erbil-iraq |archive-date=1 November 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=NPR}} including a U.S. service member who had a concussion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/220220211|title=Erbil rocket victim dies a week after attack|date=22 February 2021|access-date=26 February 2021|work=Rudaw|archive-date=4 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304161044/https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/220220211|url-status=live}}

Perpetrators

The identity of the attackers was initially unclear, and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.{{Cite web |url=http://www.businessworld.in/article/Rockets-hit-US-base-in-Iraq-1-killed-8-injured/16-02-2021-378039/ |title=Rockets Hit US Base In Iraq: 1 Killed, 8 Injured |date=16 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Business World |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109012331/http://www.businessworld.in/article/Rockets-hit-US-base-in-Iraq-1-killed-8-injured/16-02-2021-378039/ |url-status=live }} Iraqi security officials launched an investigation to determine the source of the attack on the same day, while American authorities stated that the U.S. will work with the Iraqi investigators to hold accountable those who were responsible.

A little-known Shiite armed group called Saraya Awliya al-Dam ({{Langx|ar|سرايا أولياء الدم|sarāyā ‘āwliyā‘ ad-dam}}, "Guardians of Blood Brigade"), claimed responsibility for the attack,{{Cite web |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/usled-coalition-no-americans-killed-in-iraq-rocket-attack-101613468310666.html |title=US-led coalition: No Americans killed in Iraq rocket attack |date=16 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Hindustan Times |archive-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908011314/https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/usled-coalition-no-americans-killed-in-iraq-rocket-attack-101613468310666.html |url-status=live }} but did not provide evidence of its role in the incident.{{Cite web |first1=Nicole |last1=Gaouette |first2=Barbara |last2=Starr |first3=Kevin |last3=Liptak |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/16/politics/us-erbil-attack-outrage/index.html |title=US expresses outrage over Erbil rocket attack as investigation gets underway |date=17 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=CNN |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107220116/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/16/politics/us-erbil-attack-outrage/index.html |url-status=live }} The group, which according to some Iraqi officials has links with Iran, stated that it had opposed the "American occupation" and would carry out more attacks on the U.S. forces; however, according to Michael Knights, an expert on Iraq and Iran at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Iranian-backed Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq was the militia that was most likely to have been behind the attack. On 16 February, the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, stated that Iran had opposed "any acts that harmed Iraq's security", and denied suggestions by some Iraqi officials that it had any link to Saraya Awliya al-Dam, condemning the "suspicious attempts to attribute [the attack] to Iran".

The spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Mahmoud Mohammed, stated that a group of fighters with ties to the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was responsible for the attacks. This was refuted by the head of relations at the PMF's Northern Front, Sayed Ali Hosseini. On 3 March, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism unit published what appeared to be the "taped confession of one of the four alleged perpetrators" of the rocket attacks, who says he met one of the other perpetrators, belonging to Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, a paramilitary group part of the PMF. The conversation apparently blamed Iran for the attacks.{{cite news |title=Alleged perpetrator of Erbil rocket attack says rockets were 'Iranian made' |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/030320212 |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=www.rudaw.net |agency=Rudaw |date=3 March 2021 |location=ERBIL, Kurdistan Region |language=en |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309231815/https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/030320212 |url-status=live }}

Aftermath

The attack was the deadliest in a year on the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq and the first time since late 2020 that Western military or diplomatic installations in Iraq were targeted.{{Cite web |first1=John |last1=Davison |first2=Ahmed |last2=Rasheed |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-02-15/mortars-land-near-erbil-airport-iraqi-kurdish-security-sources-say |title=U.S. Forces in Iraq Hit by Rockets, Contractor Killed |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=U.S. News & World Report |archive-date=17 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217013934/https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-02-15/mortars-land-near-erbil-airport-iraqi-kurdish-security-sources-say |url-status=live }} The attack, the most serious on the U.S.-led coalition since the Biden administration took power,{{Cite web |first=Dana |last=Taib Menmy |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/17/security-breach-iraq-officials-denounce-erbil-rocket-attack |title='Wake up call': Deadly Iraq rocket attack puts pressure on US |date=17 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Al Jazeera |archive-date=1 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101155749/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/17/security-breach-iraq-officials-denounce-erbil-rocket-attack |url-status=live }} sparked fears of escalation, and was deemed as the first serious test of U.S. President Joe Biden's policy towards Iran. According to Caroline Rose, a senior analyst at the Washington-based Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, the attack conveyed a message of intimidation to both the Biden administration and the federal Iraqi government. According to Jonathan Spyer, the executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis, the attack was an Iranian message to the newly elected Biden administration.{{cite web|first=Jonathan|last=Spyer|author-link=Jonathan Spyer|url=https://www.newsweek.com/erbil-attacks-part-irans-opening-overture-biden-opinion-1569777|title=Erbil Attacks Part of Iran's 'Opening Overture' To Biden|date=18 February 2021|access-date=19 February 2021|work=Newsweek|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016064742/https://www.newsweek.com/erbil-attacks-part-irans-opening-overture-biden-opinion-1569777|url-status=live}}

On 17 February, the American embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad activated its own air defense system, and reconnaissance helicopters were flown over the area. The reason behind the decision was not announced.{{cite web|url=https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2813336/us-embassy-erbil-activates-defense-system|title=US Embassy in Erbil Activates Defense System|date=18 February 2021|access-date=19 February 2021|work=Asharq Al-Awsat|archive-date=18 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218140904/https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2813336/us-embassy-erbil-activates-defense-system|url-status=live}} The following day, NATO announced that it will expand its security training mission in Iraq after a request by the Iraqi government, increasing the size of its forces from 500 to around 4,000 personnel.{{cite web|first=Amanda|last=Macias|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/18/nato-expands-mission-in-iraq-on-the-heels-of-deadly-rocket-attack.html|title=NATO announces expanded mission in Iraq on the heels of deadly rocket attack|date=18 February 2021|access-date=19 February 2021|work=CNBC|archive-date=29 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029165355/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/18/nato-expands-mission-in-iraq-on-the-heels-of-deadly-rocket-attack.html|url-status=live}}

On 25 February, the United States Air Force launched an airstrike against infrastructure related to Iranian-backed militias in Syria.{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/26/us-strikes-iranian-backed-military-infrastructure-in-syria|title=US attacks 'Iranian-backed military infrastructure' in Syria|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=26 February 2021|accessdate=26 February 2021}} The airstrike, which was authorized by U.S. President Biden, targeted Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada at a border control point in Abu Kamal District. The militias reported one death but local sources said seventeen were killed.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-syria-strike/exclusive-u-s-carries-out-airstrike-against-iranian-backed-militia-target-in-syria-officials-say-idUSKBN2AP33D|title=Exclusive: U.S. carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia target in Syria, officials say|publisher=Reuters|date=26 February 2021|accessdate=26 February 2021|archive-date=8 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008193147/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-syria-strike/exclusive-u-s-carries-out-airstrike-against-iranian-backed-militia-target-in-syria-officials-say-idUSKBN2AP33D|url-status=live}}

Another attack was launched against the airport in April 2021, was carried out by drone. No one was hurt in the blast but a building was damaged. France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States condemned the attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the airport drone attack, but Saraya Awliya al-Dam hailed the blast in pro-Iran channels on Telegram.{{Cite web |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1844056/middle-east |title=Western powers condemn attacks in Kurdish Iraq |date=16 April 2021 |access-date=17 April 2021 |work=Arab News |archive-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908234635/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1844056/middle-east |url-status=live }}

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The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for an investigation into the attack, and the Iraqi President Barham Salih called the attack a "grave escalation", and that it "undermined efforts to secure the safety of Iraqi people". Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul stated that Iraq "will not accept becoming an arena for settling scores".{{Cite web |first1=Ali |last1=Jawad |first2=Bassel |last2=Barakat |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-says-airport-attack-carried-out-from-inside-erbil/2148308 |title=Iraq says airport attack carried out from inside Erbil |date=17 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Anadolu Agency |archive-date=17 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217150354/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-says-airport-attack-carried-out-from-inside-erbil/2148308 |url-status=live }} The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, condemned the attack. The American Secretary of State Antony Blinken "conveyed his outrage" and sent his condolences to the victims, while the White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that the U.S. was "outraged" by the attack.{{Cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/15/north-iraq-airbase-hosting-us-troops-targeted-by-several-rockets |title=Iraqi armed group vows more attacks on 'American occupation' |date=15 February 2021 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=Al Jazeera |archive-date=17 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217191208/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/15/north-iraq-airbase-hosting-us-troops-targeted-by-several-rockets |url-status=live }} U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also condemned the attack, while the spokesperson for the State Department, Ned Price, stated that there will be consequences for those behind the attacks.{{Cite web|first=Servet|last=Günerigök|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-vows-consequences-for-perpetrators-of-erbil-attack/2148716|title=US vows consequences for perpetrators of Erbil attack|date=18 February 2021|access-date=19 February 2021|work=Anadolu Agency|archive-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217220943/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-vows-consequences-for-perpetrators-of-erbil-attack/2148716|url-status=live}}