Drones Target U.S. Troops in Iraq Again
BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Two drones targeted a military airbase housing U.S. troops in the Iraq’s western province of Anbar on Tuesday for the second time in 24 hours, the Iraqi military said.
The drones attacked the Ayn al-Asad Air Base at dawn, but the air defense system shot them down outside the perimeter of the airbase, the Iraqi Joint Operation Command said in a statement.
An Iraqi army source anonymously confirmed that two drones attacked the Ayn al-Asad Air Base, which houses U.S. troops and agencies.
Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel associated with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), reported that a squadron of fixed-wing kamikaze drones struck missile launchers and other targets inside Ain al-Asad Air Base, located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of the capital Baghdad.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, which is the second such incident in 24 hours targeting U.S. occupation forces in Iraq.
Also, there has been no immediate report of casualties so far.
On Monday, two combat drones struck the Victory base at Baghdad International Airport.
An Iraqi security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Iraq’s Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that a counter-rocket, artillery and mortar, or (C-RAM), system engaged and shot down the fixed-wing armed drones.
Anti-U.S. sentiments are rife in Iraq. People and political factions demand the U.S. occupation forces leave the country.
Iraqi lawmakers have approved a bill that requires the government to end the presence of all foreign military forces led by the U.S. in the country.