Where Was the Baghdad Drone Launched? Iraq Probes Debris

Erbil (Kurdistan24) - The drone intercepted near the US Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone was not an attack but a failed attempt, the head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell told Kurdistan24 on Tuesday, adding that investigators are now examining its wreckage to determine where it was launched.

Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, said to Kurdistan24, that the aircraft was brought down as it approached the Green Zone.

“We cannot say this was an attack, but rather a failed attempt,” Maan told Kurdistan24. “The drone carried no explosives. When it came near the Green Zone, it was shot down. There were no human or material losses.”

He said a technical working team has been formed to investigate and has examined the site. “The drone was not meant for an attack, and it was destroyed immediately,” Maan said.

Maan also said the interception was carried out in cooperation with the US Consulate. He stated that Iraq possesses very capable air defense weaponry.

Maan said the Iraqi government has taken firm steps to maintain the country’s security stability.

“There is no security breach,” he said. “Launching this drone was an attempt to undermine unity.”

He added that security teams have begun compiling reports and gathering criminal evidence. “Once the investigations are complete, all the details will be revealed within the next few hours,” Maan said.

Maan said the drone’s remains have been found and collected, and that the wreckage did not contain any explosive materials. Security specialists are conducting the necessary examination to establish the location of the platform from which it was launched.

“Through the debris, we can reveal the details,” he said.

Iraqi security forces had earlier intercepted an unidentified drone near the Green Zone on Oct. 27, after three powerful explosions were heard in the capital, according to Iraqi security officials and a Kurdistan24 correspondent.

A source within Iraq’s Joint Operations Command told Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad, Dilan Barzan, that the blasts resulted from a drone attack directed at the US Embassy, which is located inside the Green Zone. The source said Baghdad’s air defense system was activated in response to the approaching aircraft. Maan, for his part, attributed the noise heard in the city to the interception itself.

The Green Zone has faced repeated attacks involving rockets and unmanned aircraft, and earlier attacks on the zone and the embassy have frequently been attributed to armed groups. Those incidents, however, do not establish who was behind this drone, and Iraqi officials have not identified its operator or point of launch.

US forces have deployed a Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system, known as C-RAM, within the embassy compound. Officials did not specify whether it was used during the interception.

With the wreckage recovered and a technical team at work, Iraqi authorities say they expect to disclose the full findings of the investigation, including the drone’s launch site, within hours.