ERBIL (Dispatches) – A drone exploded near the U.S. consulate in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, the latest in a series of attacks in the area amid growing anti-American sentiments in the country.
Security sources said the U.S. consulate’s military section in the Shorsh neighborhood, located in the northern city of Erbil, was targeted by a drone attack on Wednesday at 9:35 pm local time.
Several cars were damaged and three people were injured in the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel associated with Iraq’s anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), reported that “a safe area near United Arab Emirates’ Consulate, a few kilometers away from under-construction U.S. consulate, was targeted by the drone attack.”
The news channel added that following the attack “smoke rose into the sky and the Kurdish forces placed the area under curfew.”
Meanwhile, a Kurdish intelligence source reported that explosions were heard in the vicinity of Erbil International Airport.
Iraq’s al-Mayadeen and Al-Ahad televisions also confirmed the attacks in separate reports.
U.S. troops and bases in Iraq have frequently come under rocket and drone strikes.
Anti-U.S. sentiments have significantly increased in Iraq. Iraqi lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill that required the government to end the presence of all U.S.-led foreign military forces in the Arab country.
The U.S.-led coalition has ended its combat mission in Iraq, but thousands of soldiers remain in the country in a so-called advisory and training role.