Armed drones shot down over Iraqi airport housing US troops
PHOTO CAPTION: A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter overlooks a city skyline during a training mission conducted outside of Erbil, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Meagan OLeary via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
CAIRO (Reuters) -Three armed drones were shot down on Tuesday in two separate attacks over Erbil airport in northern Iraq where U.S. forces and other international forces are stationed, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service said in a statement.
The attacks are the latest in a series on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria as tensions soar in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war.
A group called the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" said it targeted Al-Harir military base, which is about 70 km northeast of Erbil airport.
The defence system at a military base near the airport successfully defended against the drones, the statement said. There were no casualties or damage to infrastructure, a U.S. Defense Department official said.
Coalition forces have been attacked at least 38 times since Oct. 17, most of these attacks failed to reach their targets, thanks to our robust defences, the U.S. official added.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has pledged to pursue those responsible for recent attacks on three military bases in Iraq hosting international coalition advisers, including Ain al-Asad in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad's international airport and Harir in Erbil.
(Reporting by Amina Ismail; editing by Nick Macfie and Jason Neely)
