A drone strike on Monday targeted a military base in northern Iraq used by U.S. and antijihadist coalition forces, U.S. and Iraqi officials said, the latest incident of its kind.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, the number of attacks against the coalition that sent troops to Iraq to fight the Islamic State group has increased.
In Monday's incident, a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) was fired at a base near Irbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan, Yehia Rasool, the Iraqi prime minister's spokesman for military affairs, said in a statement.
The attack caused injuries, Rasool said, without giving further details.
A US military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that a drone strike was launched at the air base “against US and coalition forces,” adding: “We are still awaiting the assessment of injuries and damage (if any) “. .
Shortly after the drone strike, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had launched a drone from another base near Harir, northeast of Erbil.
This base also hosts US and coalition forces.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an informal formation of armed groups affiliated with the Hashed alShaabi coalition of former paramilitaries, now integrated into Iraq's regular armed forces.
Since October 17, the American military has recorded 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria.
Most of these attacks were claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which rejects US support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
At the beginning of December, the US embassy in Baghdad was attacked by rockets. No group claimed responsibility for this attack, the first of its kind since the war began in Gaza.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia alSudani's office announced several arrests and said some were linked to the security services.
Washington has about 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria. The international coalition has been fighting the Islamic State group since 2014.