Military: Rocket hits Iraq base hosting US troops – AFP

As per the AFP news, published during Friday’s Asian session, a rocket slammed into an Iraqi base where American troops are stationed in the remote province of Kirkuk.

Key quotes

According to three separate Iraqi security sources, the Katyusha rocket hit an open area on the K1 base at around 8:45 pm local time (1745 GMT).

Both US troops and Iraqi federal police forces are stationed there but neither sustained casualties, according to a statement from Iraq's military.

It said security forces found the launch pad from which the rocket was fired, with 11 more rockets still inside, but the perpetrators were on the run.

Washington blamed the rockets on Kataeb Hezbollah, a hardline Iraqi military faction close to Iran, and conducted retaliatory strikes that killed 25 of the group's fighters.

FX implications

This should ideally weigh on the market’s risk-taking capacity as well as support the oil prices. However, nothing of that sort has happened due to the lack of activity during the Asian session as USD/JPY and WTI both seesaw mostly the same near 109.80 and $51.75 by the time of writing.