The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition confirmed that “three Coalition personnel were killed during a rocket attack on Camp Taji, Iraq… approximately twelve additional personnel were wounded”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo subsequently spoke with his British counterpart and the two “underscored that those responsible for the attacks must be held accountable”. The following day, CENTCOM commander Kenneth McKenzie noted: “the Iranian proxy group Kataeb Hezbollah is the only group known to have previously conducted an indirect fire attack of this scale against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq”. U.S. Defence Secretary Esper asserted that the attack was carried out “by Iranian-backed Shiite militia groups”, and conveyed that President Trump had provided “the authority to do what we need to do… I’m not going to take any options off the table right now, but we are focused on the group – groups – that we believe perpetrated this in Iraq, as the immediate [focus]”.