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US troops in Iraq finally get Patriot air defense

Two and a half months after Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into a US base in central Iraq, lightly injuring more than 100 soldiers, the US finally brought Patriot batteries to Iraq. They will be set up at Ayn al-Assad base and in Erbil, according to reports. The US is withdrawing from a half-dozen bases and posts in Iraq as the coronavirus spreads and Iranian-backed proxies carry out attacks.

The Patriots were requested in January and US generals, such as CENTCOM head Kenneth McKenzie and General Pat White, had been back and forth to Baghdad. US Senator Jim Inhofe also came to Baghdad in February and it appears the US has been pushing Baghdad to let the air defense systems through.

Read More: Jerusalem Post