US coalition: 2 armed drones shot down at Baghdad airport

Baghdad: Two armed drones were shot down at the 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 Islamic State group in Iraq told The Associated Press that the C-RAM defense system at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center engaged two fixed wing “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 advisors.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both officials 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. —(AP)