The attack is the first by US forces in Iraq since February (representative)
Baghdad, Iraq:
Meanwhile, US forces are carrying out a “defensive” air strike against militants trying to launch drones that are considered a threat to US and allied forces, according to US authorities.
The attack – which Iraqi sources said left only four dead – was the first on US forces in Iraq since February, when the US military reported the killing of a pro-Iran commander who was involved in attacks on the country's forces.
“Tonight, as U.S. forces in Iraq conduct a defensive air offensive” in Babil province, “you’re seeing fighters trying to launch single-shot, unmanned aerial systems,” said the U.S. defense official, who asked not to be identified. “Central Command values the drones. They represent American power in the United States and in the coalition.”
“Let us preserve the right of legitimate defense and will not hesitate to take appropriate measures,” the official added.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of formerly loyalist paramilitary groups that have been integrated into Iraq’s security forces, had previously said that the apparent attacks that killed six people and four others were centered in Babylon, but there was no mention of an attempt to launch individual drones.
The Popular Mobilization Forces said in a statement, “Since the available information indicates that two patrols… launched missiles from drones.”
“Four people were killed and others were seriously injured in the explosions that hit a Popular Mobilization Forces base,” a coalition representative told AFP.
A security source confirmed that four people were killed, indicating that the death toll is likely to rise.
recurring attacks
There have been two recent attacks against US forces and their non-Iraqi allies.
Authorities said several shots were fired last week at the Ain al-Asad base, which hosts forces from the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group.
On July 16, two drones were launched toward the same facility, “two of which were destroyed as a result,” while another hit the base, causing “minor damage,” according to the Pentagon.
Previously, US forces in Iraq and Syria had not been active since April. But attacks against them were very common in the first months of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, when they were struck more than 175 times.
The Iraqi Islamic Resistance, a powerful alliance of Iran-backed groups, claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In January, a drone attack attributed to these groups killed three North American soldiers at a base in Jordan. In response, US forces launched dozens of strikes against Tirao-backed fighters.
Since then, attacks against US forces have virtually stopped.
Baghdad has tried to calm tensions by engaging in negotiations with Washington over the future of the US-led coalition and Iraq.
The US military has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria.
The group was sent to Iraq at the government's request in 2014 to help fight the Islamic State group, which had taken control of large areas of Iraq and Syria.
ISIS remnants continue to carry out attacks and ambushes in both countries.
(Except that this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
