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Coalition: 2 armed drones shot down at Baghdad airport

A military expert holds a part of one of two armed drones the US-led coalition said it shot down while targeting a compound hosting coalition troops at Baghdad airport early in the morning on Jan. 3, 2022. (AFP)
A military expert holds a part of one of two armed drones the US-led coalition said it shot down while targeting a compound hosting coalition troops at Baghdad airport early in the morning on Jan. 3, 2022. (AFP)
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03 Jan 2022 08:01:31 GMT9
03 Jan 2022 08:01:31 GMT9
  • “This was a dangerous attack on a civilian airport,” the coalition official said
  • One of the wings of the drones had the words “Soleimani’s revenge” painted on it

BAGHDAD: Two armed drones were shot down at Baghdad airport on Monday, a US-led coalition official said, an attack that coincides with the anniversary of the 2020 US killing of a top Iranian general.

There were no reports of damage or injuries from the incident, which was also confirmed by an Iraqi security official.

The official with the US-led international coalition fighting the Daesh group in Iraq said that the C-RAM defense system at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center engaged two fixed wing so-called “suicide drones.” The C-RAM system protects American installations in Iraq.

“This was a dangerous attack on a civilian airport,” the coalition official said.

The Iraqi security official who confirmed the incident said the drones were headed toward a US base at Baghdad airport housing US advisers.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although one of the wings of the drones had the words “Soleimani’s revenge” painted on it, while another had words reading, “revenge operations for our leaders,” according to the officials. Both spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The 2020 US drone strike at Baghdad’s airport killed Gen. Qassim Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Pro-Iran Shiite factions in Iraq have vowed revenge for the killing and have conditioned the end of attacks against the US presence in Iraq on the full exit of American troops from the country.

The US-led coalition formally ended its combat mission supporting Iraqi forces in the ongoing fight against the Daesh group last month. Some 2,500 troops will remain as the coalition shifts to an advisory mission to continue supporting Iraqi forces.

AP

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