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Australia's Department of Defence has confirmed reports of a rocket attack on a military camp in Iraq that killed three military personnel, adding that no Australians were among the casualties.
Key points:
- The base is home to more than 300 Australian troops
- 18 rockets struck the base on Wednesday
- The US House of Representatives has legislated to limit Mr Trump's ability to wage war against Iran
Two American personnel and one from Britain were killed and about a dozen people wounded when 18 small rockets hit the Taji Military Camp north of Baghdad on Wednesday, US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials, who cautioned the death toll may rise given the severity of some injuries, said it was too soon to assign blame.
Australia's Department of Defence confirmed via Twitter there were no Australian casualties, "with all Defence personnel confirmed safe".
"The situation is being monitored. The safety of our people is our highest priority," the Tweet said.
According to the Department's website, Taji Military Camp is home to Task Force Taji, "a combined Australian-New Zealand military training force" which supports international efforts to "train and build the capacity" of Iraq's security forces, as well as US and other foreign forces.
In January, following a previous rocket attack by a Shia militia group, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the base was home to more than 300 Australian troops.
Fears of renewed confrontation
Any indication that Iran-backed militia were responsible for the attack could spark a new round of confrontation between the United States and Iran.
A US strike in January killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, prompting Iran to fire missiles at a base in Iraq hosting US forces, leaving more than 100 troops with brain injuries.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has argued the killing of Soleimani was necessary, in part to deter Iran and Iran-backed groups from further attacks.
The US-led military coalition in Iraq said in a statement that the 18 rockets that struck the base were 107mm Katyusha missiles and suggested they may have been fired from a truck.
It confirmed three personnel were killed and about a dozen wounded but declined to disclose the nationalities of the casualties or offer any other identifying information.
"The attack is under investigation by the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces," the coalition said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Iraqi military said no casualties had been reported in the attack.
Limit's placed on Trump war powers
In a sign of concern that tensions between the United States and Iran could be headed toward open conflict, the Democratic-led US House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday to limit President Donald Trump's ability to wage war against Iran.
The Republican president has been engaged in a maximum-pressure campaign of renewed sanctions and near-constant rhetorical conflict against Iran, after pulling the US out of the international nuclear deal agreed to by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have mostly played out on Iraqi soil in recent months.
Iran-backed paramilitary groups have regularly shelled bases in Iraq that host US forces and the area around the US Embassy in Baghdad.
The Kataib Hezbollah militia was blamed for an attack on a base last year that killed an American contractor, which led to retaliatory US strikes in Iraq and Syria.
Syrian state media reported on Wednesday that unidentified jets hit targets southeast of a Syrian town along the border with Iraq.
But there has been no indication so far that the US was responsible for those strikes.
ABC/wires
Topics: defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, world-politics, government-and-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, iraq, iran-islamic-republic-of, united-states, australia
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