US shoots down drone over airbase used by US-led coalition
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – US air defenses shot down a drone near the Ain Al Asad Airbase in Iraq's western Anbar province, the Coalition Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), the official name for the US coalition, said in a statement on Friday.
The base hosts US-led coalition and Iraqi forces.
"There are no reported injuries or damage and all Coalition personnel are accounted for. The incident is under investigation," the US-led coalition said.
A statement regarding the downing of an armed UAS at AAAB in Iraq. pic.twitter.com/nhg3hP5q4b
— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) April 8, 2022
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack came a day after indirect fire wounded US servicemembers in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zor province on Thursday.
In an update on that incident, the US-led coalition said that four US "servicemembers are being evaluated for minor injuries and possible traumatic brain injuries."
The United States accuses Iranian-backed armed groups of launching regular rocket and drone attacks against its forces in Iraq, including Al Asad.
Read More: 14 rockets strike western Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase; injuries reported: Coalition
On Wednesday, there was also a rocket attack near an oil refinery in Khabat District in the Kurdistan Region's Erbil province.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell said security forces are investigating the incident and looking for the "terrorist elements" responsible.
Read More: Iraqi Security Media Cell denounces Wednesday's rocket attack on Erbil
The attack was launched from the Hamdaniya district of Nineveh province, presently under the control of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
Also, on Mar. 13, Iran fired ballistic missiles at the house of Sheikh Baz Karim Barzinji, the CEO of the KAR group, in the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil.
Read More: KAR group CEO invites Iranian Ambassador to visit his house destroyed by missile attack
Furthermore, for the second time in just under a week, rockets were fired at the Turkish Zilkan base in Nineveh province's Bashiqa last Sunday evening.