Suicide drone attacks anti-ISIS coalition forces in Erbil, injuries reported
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A one-way suicide drone on Monday attacked the global coalition against the Islamic State forces based at the Erbil International Airport, according to a Kurdish counterterrorism department. A pro-Iran militia group shouldered responsibility for the strike. An Iraqi military spokesperson said the attack caused injuries and delayed flights.
The Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said in a post on Facebook that the US-led coalition troops “based at the Erbil International Airport were attacked with a suicide drone” at 4:03 pm.
The CTD did not report any casualties or material losses.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), took responsibility for the strike.
Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, said in a statement that the drone attack caused injuries and delayed flights.
“The incident caused casualties, disrupted the airport's operation, and affected the timing of civil flights,” stated Rasool, adding that “Such criminal acts aim to harm Iraq's interests, regional and international relations and connections, and while we condemn this terrorist act, we affirm that the Iraqi security forces, backed by intelligence efforts, will reach the perpetrators and bring them to justice so that they can receive their punishment.”
US troops in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Syria, have been the target of a series of rocket and drone attacks by pro-Iran militias since mid-October, in response to Washington supporting Israel in its war against Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The militia group’s attacks against US and coalition troops in Iraq have dropped in recent days due to unknown reasons.
There have been nearly 100 attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria since mid-October, leaving at least 66 American personnel injured, according to the Pentagon.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019.
The headquarters of the Iraqi National Security Service in Baghdad, Erbil International Airport, and a civilian building near the airport were also hit with drones and rockets on December 8.
Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for the prime minister, said in a statement a few days later that the security forces investigated the incidents and were able to arrest some perpetrators.
US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski commended Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani for the arrests.
Updated at 8:48 pm