The Pentagon on Wednesday announced that early in the morning, U.S. forces intercepted several aerial drones that were headed toward American troops currently stationed in Iraq at two different air bases.
"An attempted attack against U.S. and Coalition forces in Iraq was disrupted in the early morning of Oct. 18," Col. Sean Heidgerken of U.S. Central Command told The Hill in a statement. "Two one-way drones were shot down in the attack. There were no injuries to any forces during the attempted attack."
U.S. officials have not stated who launched the drones or how they were intercepted, but they were aimed at the al-Asad air base in western Iraq and came hours before another drone attack was intercepted near al-Harir air base in northern Iraq, where U.S. forces are housed. Multiple reports state that an Iranian-backed militia based in Iraq took credit for the attack.
The United States currently has roughly 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq, with a further 900 in Syria. U.S. officials have voiced concerns about rising tensions in the region following the attack on Israel by Hamas and the ensuing war, in which thousands have died.
Following the attack on Israel, the Pentagon put 2,000 troops on "prepare to deploy" orders, sent a rapid response special forces team to the Middle East, and moved two carrier strike groups to the region.
President Joe Biden also traveled personally to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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