Drones said to target Iraq base used by US-led forces to ’embarrass’ Baghdad
Iraqi security officials say Iran-backed groups trying to push American coalition out of area; one drone downed outside base, second explodes inside; no injuries or damage
Two drones were launched against a base in Iraq where forces of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition are stationed, security officials said Wednesday, amid escalating tensions fueled by Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
“An attack using two drones” targeted Ain al-Assad base in Anbar province on Tuesday evening, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
“One drone was shot down outside the base by defense systems, and the second exploded inside the base without causing any injuries or damage,” he added.
Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq have largely halted similar attacks on US-backed troops in recent months, but have continued to threaten action should war break out between their ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel.
A senior security official in Baghdad confirmed Tuesday’s attack, saying he believed it was meant to “embarrass” the Iraqi government and pressure the international coalition to leave Iraq, a long-time demand of the Iran-backed groups.
The US military has some 2,500 troops deployed in Iraq and 900 in Syria with the international coalition.
The coalition was deployed to Iraq at the government’s request in 2014 to help combat IS, which had taken over vast swaths of Iraq and neighboring Syria.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, has carried out more than 175 rocket and drone strikes against US-led troops in Iraq and Syria. It says the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war in Gaza, which was launched by the Hamas terror group when it invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251.
In April, rocket fire from northern Iraq targeted a base hosting the international coalition in Syria.
In late January, a drone strike launched by Iraqi armed groups killed three US soldiers in a base across the border in Jordan.
In retaliation, the US launched deadly strikes against pro-Iran factions in Iraq and Syria.
Baghdad has sought to defuse the tensions, engaging in talks with Washington to negotiate a timeline for the coalition’s withdrawal.
