Armed drones shot down over northern Iraqi airport where US forces based

At least 3 armed drones were shot down over an airport in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region housing US forces.

2 min read

07 November, 2023

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attacks [Getty]

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's war on Gaza.

A group called the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" said it targeted Al-Harir military base, which is about 70 km northeast of Erbil airport.

Footage from the Drone Attack tonight on U.S. Forces at Erbil Air Force Base in Northern Iraq showing the Impact of at least 1 Drone inside of the Fence surrounding the Base; in the Second Video after the Attack you can see the launch of a Raytheon “Coyote” Counter-UAS which is… pic.twitter.com/b2R23vtMoc
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 7, 2023

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 17 October, 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.