Two drones shot down over Iraq base housing US troops: state media

A drone attack on a base hosting US forces in Iraq was thwarted on Sunday, Iraqi state media reported.

Two drones were shot down as they attempted to target the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq, which is used by American forces as part of missions by the international coalition against terrorism, the Iraqi government's security media said.

The drones were intercepted by air defence systems at the air base, state-run Iraqi News Agency said.

A security official from the town of Al-Baghdadi, close to Ain al-Assad, told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site that the region was completely cordoned off as the Iraqi army carried out extensive searches to make sure the area was clear from any further threats.

"The incident comes two days after a new air defence system was tested at the base," he said.

The development comes only hours after the international coalition announced a missile had landed in Camp Victoria, adjacent to the Baghdad international airport, which also houses US forces.

Spokesman for the coalition against terrorism Colonel Wayne Marotto said on Twitter that the missile did not result in injuries nor damage.

"Every attack against the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan region, and the coalition undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, the rule of law, and Iraqi national sovereignty," he said.

The Ain al-Assad base was targeted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps days after the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January last year. The air base was also targeted last month.