Coalition: 2 armed drones shot down at Baghdad airport

BAGHDAD — Two equipped drones were changeable down astatine the Baghdad airdrome connected Monday, a U.S.-led conjugation authoritative said, an onslaught that coincides with the day of the 2020 U.S. sidesplitting of a apical Iranian general.

There were nary reports of harm oregon injuries from the incident, which was besides confirmed by an Iraqi information official.

The authoritative with the U.S.-led planetary conjugation warring the Islamic State radical successful Iraq told The Associated Press that the C-RAM defence strategy astatine the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center engaged 2 fixed helping alleged “suicide drones.” The C-RAM strategy protects American installations successful Iraq.

“This was a unsafe onslaught connected a civilian airport,” the conjugation authoritative said.

The Iraqi information authoritative who confirmed the incidental said the drones were headed toward a U.S. basal astatine Baghdad airdrome lodging U.S. advisors.

No radical instantly claimed work for the attack, though 1 of the wings of the drones had the words “Soleimani’s revenge” painted connected it, portion different had words reading, “revenge operations for our leaders,” according to the officials. Both spoke connected information of anonymity successful enactment with regulations.

The 2020 U.S. drone onslaught astatine Baghdad’s airdrome killed Gen. Qassim Soleimani, who was the caput of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, lawman commandant of Iran-backed militias successful Iraq known arsenic the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Pro-Iran Shiite factions successful Iraq person vowed revenge for the sidesplitting and person conditioned the extremity of attacks against the U.S. beingness successful Iraq connected the afloat exit of American troops from the country.

The U.S.-led conjugation formally ended it’s combat ngo supporting Iraqi forces successful the ongoing combat against the Islamic State radical past month. Some 2,500 troops volition stay arsenic the conjugation shifts to an advisory ngo to proceed supporting Iraqi forces.