Drone loaded with explosives crashes into US base in Erbil
Shafaq News / A drone laden with explosives believed to have been launched by an Iranian-backed militia crashed into the upper floor of a U.S. barracks at a base in Iraq but failed to detonate, U.S. officials said, underscoring the risks to U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported.
forces in the Middle East during Israel’s war on Hamas. Had the drone exploded at Erbil air base on Oct. 25, it likely would have injured or killed U.S. troops, defense officials said. There were no reports of injuries.
The strike has raised fears of a potential deadly attack among forces on the ground even after the Pentagon last week sent several air defense systems to the region to protect the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria. “They are aiming to kill,” a U.S. defense official said. “We have just been lucky.” The Defense Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following the fall of the unmanned aerial vehicle on the military barracks, the United States stated that it launched strikes on two bases in eastern Syria believed to be used by Iranian groups.
The Pentagon earlier mentioned that there have been at least 28 attacks on American facilities in Iraq and Syria in the past two weeks, described by officials as a response from "Iranian-backed militias to American support for Israel."
On October 26th, the so-called "Islamic Resistance" in Iraq announced targeting the American base adjacent to Erbil airport with two drones, claiming to have "directly hit its targets."
