The Iraqi intelligence uncovered on September 20 the wreckage of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), that was hidden by ISIS terrorists in the eastern province of Diyala.
“Based on accurate information from the [Iraqi] National Intelligence Service (INIS), a joint force of the intelligence office in Diyala and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) uncovered a drone of ISIS terrorist gangs on one of the Islands in Hamrin Lake,” the Security Media Cell said in an official statement.
While the Security Media Cell’s statement suggested that the UAV was used by ISIS, photos of its wreckage revealed that it is in fact an Iranian-made Ababil-3.
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The Ababil-3 has a range of 100 km and an endurance of up to 4 hours. An estimated 217 UAVs of this type have been built as of July 2019.
In the early years of the war on ISIS, several Ababil-3 UAVs were shot down by the terrorist group over Iraq. The group has apparently preserved some of the UAVs, likely on the hope of repairing and using them at some point.
Iraqi government forces ramped up their combing operations in the last few weeks. A day earlier, the forces uncovered a large ammo depot of ISIS cells in western Iraq containing at least seven anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).
