Explosive drone shot down at Iraqi Kurdistan airbase stationing US troops

AFP , Tuesday 2 Jan 2024

An explosive drone targeting the US-led anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq was shot down at Erbil airport on Tuesday, authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan said.

Erbil airport
File photo: Erbil International Airport, in the capital of the Iraqi Kurdish region. AFP

 

The attack was claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.

Since the start of Israel's air and ground war on Gaza in October 7, there has been a surge in attacks on US forces and their allies in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Authorities in the autonomous region of northern Iraq said the drone was launched by an "outlawed group" and was shot down.

Washington has counted 115 attacks launched against US targets in Syria and Iraq since mid-October, according to a military official speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US military has responded by launching air strikes targeting sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria.

The United States has around 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of a multinational coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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