Three Iraqi children and two women from the same family were killed on Monday when a rocket aimed at Baghdad airport – where US troops are stationed – hit their home, the army said.
It is the latest in a string of assaults on American interests in Iraq.
The attack occurred after Washington threatened to close its embassy and withdraw its troops from the country unless the missiles stop.
Attacks in the past year have caused relatively few casualties, and Monday’s incident was notable for the number of civilians killed.
It also wounded two children, the army said.
Twitter accounts supporting US arch enemy Iran regularly praise such attacks, but that was not the case on Monday, when no group immediately claimed responsibility.
Half a dozen previously unknown factions have claimed similar attacks in recent months under the banner of “Islamic resistance” against the “American occupier”.
But experts say they are a smokescreen, and include former members of pro-Iranian factions of the Popular Mobilisation Forces paramilitary alliance, a state-sponsored network close to Tehran.
Civilian deaths could put the group responsible in an uncomfortable position with a public exhausted by years of violence by various militias.
The Iraqi army on Monday accused “criminal gangs and groups of outlaws” of seeking to “create chaos and terrorise people”.
Between October and July, at least 39 rocket attacks were launched on US interests in Iraq. Almost the same number has taken place since.
In total, four soldiers – two British, one Iraqi and one American – have been killed in the attacks, as have a US and an Iraqi contractor. Several civilians have been wounded.
Iraqi intelligence sources have blamed the attacks on a small group of hardline Iran-backed paramilitary factions.
Senior American officers today see pro-Iran armed groups as a greater threat than ISIS, which once held a third of Iraq.
Washington has demanded that Baghdad take decisive action. But Iraq must play a delicate balancing act with US influence and that of neighbouring Iran, which arms, finances and supports various armed Shiite factions.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Iraqi President Barham Salih this month and threatened to close the American embassy in Baghdad, Iraqi and foreign officials have said.
That was seen as a new blow to Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, who took office in May.
While he is seen as western-leaning, US officials have accused him of not doing enough against pro-Iran groups.
One Iraqi official told AFP: “The honeymoon is over.”
The American ultimatum was followed by threats of sanctions against senior political and military figures.
Populist Shiite cleric and politician Moqtada Al Sadr has called for a commission of inquiry into the rocket attacks, a proposal backed by Mr Al Kadhimi.
The PMF paramilitary alliance has dismissed several commanders accused of links to attacks on western interests, while denying responsibility for the acts of groups claiming PMF links and “carrying out illegal military acts against foreign interests”. But more hardline groups have stepped up the anti-US rhetoric.
One western official said: “If Washington follows through and withdraws its people, these groups will be able to brag that they kicked the Americans out of Iraq at little cost.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
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You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
