Three drones target Baghdad airport after rocket attack on Balad airbase
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Three drones targeted Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday night. One of the drones was shot down, Iraq’s military announced in a statement.
The attack came an hour after three rockets hit Balad airbase in Salahaddin province where US sub-contractors operate. No casualties were reported.
"The security forces are determined to pursue all those who are tempted to disturb the security and stability of Iraq, and bring them to justice,” the military’s Security Media Cell stated.
According to AFP, US air defense systems were unable to intercept the drones.
Frequent attacks on the Baghdad airport and military bases around the country housing US troops are blamed on Iranian-backed militias who want to force American troops to withdraw from Iraq.
The use of drones, a new tactic, is concerning, the head of US Central Command said on Monday. “We are seeing pressure from Iranian-affiliated militant groups that want to push us out of Iraq, and the latest manifestation of that has been the use of small unmanned aerial systems, or drones,” said Commander General Kenneth McKenzie.
Ain al-Asad airbase was targeted by drones shortly on Sunday and Erbil International Airport was targeted by an explosives-laden drone in April.
In May, a leader in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) affiliated with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said there are Iranian-made drones in Iraq that are ready to be used against US combat troops.
Attacks on Iraqi bases, especially those hosting US troops, have increased since the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad in January 2020.
The attack came an hour after three rockets hit Balad airbase in Salahaddin province where US sub-contractors operate. No casualties were reported.
"The security forces are determined to pursue all those who are tempted to disturb the security and stability of Iraq, and bring them to justice,” the military’s Security Media Cell stated.
According to AFP, US air defense systems were unable to intercept the drones.
Frequent attacks on the Baghdad airport and military bases around the country housing US troops are blamed on Iranian-backed militias who want to force American troops to withdraw from Iraq.
The use of drones, a new tactic, is concerning, the head of US Central Command said on Monday. “We are seeing pressure from Iranian-affiliated militant groups that want to push us out of Iraq, and the latest manifestation of that has been the use of small unmanned aerial systems, or drones,” said Commander General Kenneth McKenzie.
Ain al-Asad airbase was targeted by drones shortly on Sunday and Erbil International Airport was targeted by an explosives-laden drone in April.
In May, a leader in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) affiliated with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said there are Iranian-made drones in Iraq that are ready to be used against US combat troops.
Attacks on Iraqi bases, especially those hosting US troops, have increased since the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad in January 2020.