The explosive drone which Iraqi militans used to target us army in Harir Airbase
On Wednesday, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia claimed responsibility for a drone strike on the Harir Airbase in Erbil province which is home to US army and this attack marked the second reported incident of the day targeting US troops in Iraq. The militia’s actions were a retaliatory measure against Washington’s support for Israel.
The attacks occurred following warnings from pro-Iran Iraqi militias, stating that US bases and troops in Iraq would be considered “legitimate targets” if they intervened directly in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups supported by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), issued a Telegram statement declaring, “We targeted the Harir American occupation base in Kurdistan Region precisely at twelve o’clock noon on Wednesday using a drone.” The attack did not result in any casualties.
The statement described the attack as a retaliatory strike in support of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which was Palestinian Hamas militants’ attack against Israel earlier this month.
Harir airbase which is home to US army airbase, is located around 70 kilometers northeast of Erbil city and has been a airfield for coalition forces since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The Kurdaily team contacted the US-led coalition for additional information regarding the attack, but they were unable to provide immediate assistance.
On Wednesday, US officials informed Reuters that they successfully prevented an attack on their forces stationed at Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq. They intercepted the “one-way attack drones” before they could target the base. Ain al-Asad airbase is located in Anbar province and accommodates both US-led coalition personnel and Iraqi army troops.
Attacks on American military installations in Iraq and Syria, mainly attributed to pro-Iran militia groups, have posed a threat in recent times. These attacks increased following the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, leader of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in Baghdad in January 2020. However, it is worth noting that the number of attacks on American military bases in Iraq significantly decreased last year.
