Four involved in missile attack on Baghdad airport sentenced to life

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi court sentenced four people to life in prison on Sunday for targeting Baghdad International Airport with missiles last January, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

A statement of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq mentioned that the Al-Karkh Criminal Court issued a life sentence rule against four criminals who participated in targeting Baghdad International Airport with missiles on January 28, 2022.

The statement added that the verdict against the criminals is based on the provisions of Article 4/1 of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.

This is the first ruling issued in cases related to attacks on the airport and sites that include US forces, or forces from the international coalition to combat ISIS in Iraq.

The ruling is related to an attack on Baghdad International Airport on January 28, which caused material damage to a runway and two empty airplanes, according to what the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority reported at the time.

Iraq witnesses from time to time attacks targeting military bases housing American soldiers.

Iraq that has wide eastern border with Iran that supports several local factions and militias witnessed, during the past years, dozens of attacks against military bases belong to the international coalition.

Since the United States assassinated the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, in January 2020, dozens of attacks with missiles and drones have targeted bases where American forces stay.  

In response to this assassination, on January 8, 2020, Tehran targeted with 22 ballistic missiles the Ain Al-Assad base in the west, and the Erbil base in the north, which house American forces.

While these attacks are usually not claimed by any party, Washington often accuses factions loyal to Tehran of being responsible for these attacks.