Click to see full-size image. Source: Sabereen News (t.me/sabreenS1).
On April 16, an unidentified drone was downed over Baghdad International Airport, according to the Iraqi Shafaq news outlet.
A security Iraqi source told the outlet that the drone was flying over the Iraqi Federal Police – Special Training Academy, which is also known as Camp Dublin. The training camp is a part of the United States Victory Base Complex. The drone was downed by U.S. forces deployed at the complex using electronic warfare means, the unnamed source added.
Another source told Alsumaria TV that it is still unclear if the drone was carrying any explosives, or was sent on a reconnaissance mission.
An unverified photo of the downed drone that surfaced online shows a commercially-bought DJI Mavic quadcopter. The drone, which has an operational range of around four kilometers, is used for attacks and reconnaissance by many armies and armed groups around the world.
U.S. forces in Iraq, who lead a coalition against ISIS, were targeted on several occasions in the past, with most of the attacks carried out by pro-Iran armed groups.
The attacks escalated following the killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, and Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassim Soleimani, by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on 2 January 2020.
Despite facing increasing military and political pressure by Iran’s allies in Iraq, Washington appears to be determined to stay in the country for the long term.
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