Shafaq News/ Three drones have crashed in Iraq over the past 24 hours, raising escalation in the region.
A security source revealed to Shafaq News Agency that the 1st Commando Brigade of the Diyala Operations Command of the Iraqi Army successfully downed a drone on Friday night in the southern region of Buhriz district, in the border area of Fadhiliya, 8 km south of Baqubah in Diyala Governorate.
According to the source, the surveillance drone is undergoing security investigations to determine its origin, with unconfirmed information suggesting it might be Iranian-made.
The drone is the second to be downed in Diyala.
On Thursday, armed factions loyal to Iran shot down the MQ9 American drone in the Imam Wais area on the outskirts of Muqdadiya district in Diyala.
Another drone was shot down today in Saladin Governorate.
A military source at Balad Air Base confirmed the crash of a U.S. unmanned drone.
The source informed our Agency that an American crashed due to a technical failure near the outskirts of Balad Air Base, specifically in the vicinity of the Yathrib district.
A U.S. technical team at Balad Air Base is reportedly collecting the drone's wreckage.
Saladin security authorities did not provide details about the drone type or mission.
In the last weeks, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI), an umbrella term used to describe all Iran-backed forces in Iraq, intensified its operations against the US-led coalition interests.
The group said that its operations are to "expel the American occupation" and to support "Palestinian brothers."
The Iraqi government stressed the country's rejection of any attack on its territory, pledging to protect the diplomatic missions and the Global Coalition forces.