Thursday, May 2, 2024

Baghdad

Drone shot down over Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq

 Drone shot down over Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq

US helicopters flying over Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq. Photo: AFP

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Government sources in Iraq revealed that US defense systems shot down an armed drone near Ain Al-Asad air base, which hosts US, Iraqi, and other international forces in the western Iraqi governorate of Anbar.

The attack that took place on Monday came hours after a drone was shot down on Sunday over Erbil Airport in northern Iraq, where US and other international forces are stationed, according to The National.

The Counter-Terrorism Service in the Kurdistan region of Iraq announced that defense systems shot down an armed drone near Erbil International Airport.

A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it launched a drone attack to target what it called an ‘occupation base.’

According to security officials, there were no injuries or infrastructural damage.

US and international forces stationed in Iraq and across the border in Syria are on high alert amid dozens of attacks on their bases since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The attack took place less than 24 hours after two drones were shot down on Saturday evening near a military base in northern Iraq used by the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Al-Harir Air Base, which also hosts US forces, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, ordered on Sunday an investigation in coordination with security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan and pledged to pursue those responsible for Saturday’s attack.