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On July 6th, an explosives-laden drone hit Erbil International Airport, the Kurdistan Region’s Counterterrorism Directorate has said.
Initial report: At approx. 11:15 PM local time, one UAS impacted in vicinity of Erbil Air Base, Iraq. At this time initial reports indicate no injuries, casualties or damage. We will update when we have further information.
— OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) July 6, 2021
The airport, where US-led coalition troops are stationed, was attacked by a drone at 10:30pm, with a fire breaking out at the site, according to a statement from the directorate.
In a statement, the Pentagon said it was aware of reports about a drone attack, but initial information did not indicate structural damage, or injuries or casualties.
Another spokesman for the U.S. military, citing initial information, said one drone had “impacted” near Erbil, but that there were no injuries or any damage,
Telegram channels affiliated with Iran-backed elements of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) claimed that 20 rockets and three drones were used in the attack.
It comes less than 24 hours after an “airborne threat” was shot down over the US embassy in Baghdad.
Reportedly between 3 and 8 rockets also hit Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar on the afternoon of July 5th.
Erbil has been targeted in several rocket and drone attacks in recent months. Multiple drones hit an area northeast of Erbil late last month, close to the site of the new US consulate.
Two people died and 13 others injured after multiple rockets hit the city in mid-February.
In April, a drone dropped explosives near the U.S. forces stationed at Erbil airport. That was the first known attack carried out by an unmanned aerial drone against U.S. forces in Erbil, amid a steady stream of rocket attacks on bases hosting U.S. forces and the embassy in Baghdad that Washington blames on Iran-backed militias.
Additionally, on July 6th, the Iraqi resistance groups attacked four U.S. logistical convoys in with roadside bombs.
The repeated attacks on US-led coalition supply convoys are meant as a response to the to the assassination of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, and Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani.
They have ramped up recently due to the June 27th, US strike on PMU positions on the Syria-Iraq border, and the death of 4 PMU fighters.
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