US shoots down Iranian drone threatening Erbil: CENTCOM

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The US confirmed on Wednesday evening that the US brought down an Iranian drone heading towards Erbil.

“At approximately 2:10 PM local time, US forces brought down an Iranian Mojer-6 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle headed in the direction of Erbil as it appeared as a threat to CENTCOM forces in the area," Colonel Joe Buccino, CENTCOM (US Central Command) communications director, said in a statement.

“CENTCOM personnel operate in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq to advise, assist, and enable partner forces in the ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS," he added.

Moreover, the US Central Command condemned "the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ unprovoked attack in Iraq’s Erbil Governorate this morning."

"Such indiscriminate attacks threaten innocent civilians and risk the hard-fought stability of the region," he added.

“No US forces were wounded or killed as a result of the strikes and there is no damage to US equipment," he also said.

The US State Department and the White House on Wednesday also condemned the indiscriminate Iranian attacks.

According to Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Health nine people have been killed by the Iranian drone and missile attacks on the Kurdish opposition groups in the provinces of Sulaimani (Slemani) and Erbil.

The Iranian attacks come amidst widespread protests over the death of the Mahsa Zhina Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police in Tehran.

Associate Professor of International Relations at University of Sussex Kamran Matin in a tweet said that "IRGC's bombardment of Iran's Kurdish opposition bases in Iraq seeks to externalise the causes of the unprecedented protest movement currently ongoing in Iran."

Moreover, he said it aims to fabricate 'separatism' threat "to divide the protest movement and justify maximum violence against it."