Kurdistan official: Three drones attacked near the US consulate in Erbil

[currenzcraze]

Drone attacks Iraqi base hosting US troops, damaging hanger; no casualties

Strike comes days after 2 rockets hit unoccupied part of Ain al-Asad airbase without causing damage or casualties; no claim of responsibility

By AGENCIESToday, 12:11 pm  0

Ain al-Asad air base in the western Anbar desert, Iraq, December 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)

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A drone strike early on Saturday targeted a military base in Iraq that hosts US troops, causing only minor damage and no casualties, Iraq’s military and the US-led coalition said.

The pre-dawn attack damaged a hangar at the Ain Al-Asad base, tweeted coalition spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto. He said the attack was under investigation. An Iraqi military statement also said no losses were reported.

 

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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The US has blamed Iran-backed militia groups for previous attacks, most of them rocket attacks that have targeted the American presence in Baghdad and military bases across Iraq.

A picture taken on January 13, 2020, during a press tour organized by the US-led coalition fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group, shows a view inside Ain al-Asad military airbase housing US and other foreign troops in the western Iraqi province of Anbar (Ayman Henna / AFP)

Drone strikes are less common. In mid-April, an explosive-laden drone targeted the military section of the international airport in Irbil, in Iraq’s northern Kurdish-run region, causing no casualties or damages. That base also hosts US troops.

The attack came just days after the Iraqi army said two rockets were fired at the same base, in the third such attack in three days and as a US government delegation is visiting the country.

The two rockets fell on an unoccupied segment of the Ain al-Asad airbase, “without causing damage or casualties,” the army said.

The rocket attack followed one against an airbase at Baghdad airport housing US-led coalition troops on Sunday night, and another against Balad airbase, which hosts US contractors, north of the capital on Monday night.

 

Around 30 rocket or bomb attacks have targeted American interests in Iraq — including troops, the embassy or Iraqi supply convoys to foreign forces — since US President Joe Biden took office in January.

Two foreign contractors, one Iraqi contractor and eight Iraqi civilians have been killed in the attacks.

Dozens of other attacks were carried out in Iraq from autumn 2019 during the Trump administration. The operations are sometimes claimed by obscure groups that experts say are smokescreens for Iran-backed organizations long present in Iraq.

The attacks have been increasingly frequent since a US-directed drone strike killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad airport last year. Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also killed in the attack. The strike drew the ire of mostly Shiite Iraqi lawmakers and prompted parliament to pass a non-binding resolution to pressure the Iraqi government to oust foreign troops from the country.

The attacks come at a sensitive time as Tehran is engaged in talks with world powers aimed at bringing the US back into a 2015 nuclear deal. The agreement, which curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, has been on life support since Trump withdrew in 2018.

The Biden administration has resumed strategic talks with Baghdad, initiated under President Donald Trump, in which the future of US troop presence in Iraq is a central point of discussion.

[yota691]

Iraq: Attack by a "drone bomb" on the Ain Al-Assad base in Anbar, which includes American forces

Posted in: 05/08/2021 - 13:40

The Iraqi and American flags in front of a hotel in Baghdad. © AFP / Archive

 

6 minutes

The Iraqi army announced that an "explosive drone" crashed early Saturday on Ain Al-Asad Air Base (Anbar Governorate), which includes American forces. The attack caused "damage in a warehouse," according to the international coalition fighting jihadists in Iraq led by Washington.

 

 

The Iraqi army announced the downing of a "booby-trapped drone" early Saturday on Ain Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar Governorate, which includes US forces.

A security expert from Baghdad

 

02:33

The international coalition against jihadists in Iraq led by Washington stated that the attack, the fourth of its kind in less than a week, did not cause "any casualties", but caused "damage to a warehouse."

[yota691]

 

The international coalition announces new details about the attack on the Ain Al-Assad base

security

05-08-2021 | 03:57

 

 

 

Source:

Alsumaria News

 

4,386 Views

 

 

A spokesman for the International Coalition, Colonel Wayne Maruto, confirmed that a drone attacked the Ain Al-Asad air base in Al-Anbar Governorate at dawn today, Saturday.

Colonel Win Maruto wrote on Twitter that "the matter is being investigated, but the initial report indicates that the attack took place at 02:20 local time and caused damage to a hangar without any casualties."

Each attack against the GoI, KRG and Coalition undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, the rule of law and Iraqi national sovereignty.

- OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@IRSpox)May 8, 2021

 

 

 

 

The spokesman added that "any attack on the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, or the international coalition undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, the rule of law and Iraqi national sovereignty."

[yota691]

A high-ranking security delegation arrives at Balad Air Base

security

05-08-2021 | 05:14

 

 

Source:

Alsumaria News

 

1,550 Views

 

 

A high-ranking security delegation arrived Saturday, from Baghdad, to the Balad Air Base.

A security source told Alsumaria News, that the delegation that arrived Balad Air Base It includes the Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari and National Security Adviser Qassem Al-Araji, in addition to the Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army for Operations and the Commander of the Land Forces to Balad Air Base

 

 

 

The source confirmed that the delegation was briefed on the ground about the base, meeting with officers and officials, and following up on the maintenance file of combat aircraft.

[yota691]

An American company that oversees maintenance of F-16s decides to leave Iraq ... for this reason

Political| 11:22 - 05/08/2021

 

 

 

 

 

Follow-up - Mawazine News

An Iraqi government source confirmed to RT that an American company, which supervises the maintenance of F-16s, decided to leave Iraq because of the attacks on it.

The source told RT, "The company’s more than 80 employees decided to leave Iraq because of the attacks on them."
He added that "the Iraqi authorities are working to persuade the company to reverse its decision and provide guarantees for it."
It is noteworthy that the Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qasim Al-Araji, visited Balad Air Base this morning, where the maintenance headquarters of the F-16s, and met with representatives of the American company after a series of attacks on the base.

[yota691]

The American "Lockheed Martin" leaving a military base in Iraq due to the missile attacks

Posted in: 05/11/2021 - 13:58Last updated: 05/11/2021 - 13:56

An archive photo from a video published by "Kurdistan 24" TV on February 19 showing damage caused by a missile attack two days ago on a military compound inside Erbil airport that hosts foreign soldiers from the international coalition to combat the Islamic State organization - Kurdistan 24 / AFP

3 minutes

 

 

Samarra (Iraq) (AFP)

On Monday, the US company Lockheed Martin left the Balad air base, which includes the "F-16" aircraft of the Iraqi Air Force, according to what military officials told AFP, after several missile attacks that the authorities seem unable to stop.

Last week, the Iraqi authorities sent their National Security Adviser Qassem Al-Araji to the base to reassure the crews present there, a few days after a foreign contractor was injured in a missile attack targeting the base.

But a high-ranking Iraqi military official told AFP that "the company’s crews have already left Monday morning, and the team includes 72 specialized technicians from Lockheed Martin," while another military source also confirmed the team's departure from the base.

 

The first official, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that "the technical team responsible for maintaining the F-16s left Balad base for Erbil," the capital of the Kurdistan region, which was considered safer than the rest of the Iraqi regions.

However, Erbil has recently witnessed security tensions that have prompted Washington to deploy C-RAM air defense batteries and Patriot missiles, as it did in Baghdad to protect its forces and diplomats.

In mid-April, pro-Iranian groups launched a drone attack on Erbil International Airport, where a large group of American soldiers are stationed.

"Lockheed Martin will continue to provide advice to the Iraqi Air Force, even from a distance, because we are bound by a contract that cannot be breached," said the spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji.

Since the beginning of the year, at least five missile attacks have targeted the Balad base where other US companies are stationed, including Saleport, and have resulted in at least three foreign contractors and one Iraqi working in Balad.

Rarely, any party bears responsibility for these attacks, but sometimes unknown groups who are considered a front in reality for the armed factions loyal to Iran, according to experts.

In early May, the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General condemned the "increase in attacks by pro-Iranian militias" in the first quarter of 2021.

He previously indicated in his report that this increase "caused the temporary departure of the American subcontractors deployed to support the F-16 maintenance program in Iraq."

The United States of America has equipped Iraq with 34 F-16s, all of them stationed at Balad base, and has trained pilots, while many American companies maintain them.

[yota691]

Backbone and Lockheed Martin withdrawal .. Is the Iraqi F-16 program under threat?

Reports| 02:37 - 12/05/2021

 

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - Mawazine News,
the Iraqi officer "A.M." combines the area where his pieces are spread with binoculars, but the dense trees in the area in front of him prevent him from seeing.
The officer is serving in Nineveh governorate and says that "the mountainous areas in Mosul are very dangerous, but the situation has become better after the air strikes provided by the international coalition."
During the past months, coalition aircraft launched hundreds of sorties and air strikes in the area, according to the Iraqi security forces, and destroyed caves and caves where the organization was hiding its members and weapons.
The officer says: "After the coalition reduced its sorties, we were faced with the problem of the lack of Iraqi flights, but with this the Iraqi planes were playing a very important role."
The United States of America has equipped Iraq with 34 F-16s, all of which are stationed at Balad, and has trained pilots, while many American companies maintain their maintenance.
The coalition reduced its sorties after the withdrawal of dozens of soldiers from the military bases in Iraq, which are used to coordinate sorties for coalition aircraft, which have been subjected to strikes by armed groups over the past period.
The Iraqi Air Force covered the shortfall left by the coalition's reduction of sorties, using the F-16s, which are the backbone of the Iraqi Air Force.
But the withdrawal of "Lockheed Martin" from Iraq, on Tuesday, threatens the entire Iraqi combat aircraft program, according to an Iraqi air force officer involved in the program.
The company left the Balad air base after "several missile attacks that the authorities seem unable to stop," as she put it.
According to the American website, the officer said, "The company's technicians are conducting the necessary maintenance operations on Iraqi combat aircraft, and without these operations, combat sorties will not be possible."
The aircraft manufacturer said in a statement that it was "moving the F-16 team, which is based in Iraq," due to "personnel safety considerations."
The decision comes after the Balad air base, which hosts the aircraft and the company's technicians, was repeatedly subjected to missile strikes, the most recent of which was the bombing on the third of May.

"The company’s crews have already left Monday morning, and the team includes 72 specialized technicians from Lockheed Martin," AFP quoted an Iraqi official, describing it as a high-ranking one, while another military source also confirmed the team's departure from the base.
A company source said, "The company appreciates its partnership with the Iraqi Air Force and will continue to work with Iraq and the United States government to ensure the success of the mission's progress" in Iraq.
The US Department of Defense said, "The US government is coordinating closely with the company to ensure continued support for the Iraqi F-16 program."
Currently, the company is conducting deep maintenance operations on aircraft, with the help of Iraqi technicians who are performing less comprehensive and in-depth maintenance phases.
Sarmad al-Bayati, an Iraqi security analyst, said, "The program will definitely be damaged," but he said, "The Iraqi capabilities in maintenance have greatly advanced, and there is only one maintenance phase that the Iraqis do not undertake and they could receive training about."

But another security analyst, Mustafa Al-Hadithi, says that Iraqi forces "will lose air cover," making them.
Al-Hadithi, a former Iraqi pilot, added, "Russian combat aircraft and combat helicopters do not give the same options for air support to Iraqi forces, as F-16s grant comprehensive air supremacy to Iraqi forces."
Iraq has advanced combat helicopters, Russian bombing aircraft, and single-engine training aircraft, which are sometimes used in military operations.
Last week, the Iraqi authorities sent their national security advisor, Qasim Al-Araji, to the base to reassure the crews present there, a few days after a foreign contractor was injured in a missile attack targeting the base.
"Lockheed Martin will continue to provide advice to the Iraqi Air Force, even from a distance, because we are bound by a contract that cannot be breached," said the spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji.
Since the beginning of the year, at least five missile attacks have targeted the Balad base where other US companies are stationed, including Saleport, and have resulted in at least three foreign contractors and one Iraqi working in Balad.
Rarely, any party bears responsibility for these attacks, but sometimes unknown groups who are considered a front in reality for the armed factions, experts say.
In early May, the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General condemned the "increase in attacks by pro-Iranian militias" in the first quarter of 2021.
It had previously indicated in its report that this increase "caused the temporary departure of American subcontractors deployed to support the F-aircraft maintenance program." -16 in Iraq.Ended 29 / A43

[luvalife]

I have a feeling this is bait... a trap set for the enemy.  It is way too obvious. They will come out of their hell holes and attempt an attack or raid and the Iraqi's will be waiting to strike.  Just a hunch only because why would you announce this kind of information to the public.  This is NOT a good thing to be yelling from the rooftops... is it? or......IS IT?  BAM!!  

[yota691]

Security source: Lockheed Martin will transfer its employees from Al Balad to America and Erbil in Kurdistan

by Moahmmad Editor Iraq news 2 Hours ago

An Iraqi official told the New York Times that Lockheed Martin has seventy employees at Balad base, fifty of whom will be transferred to the United States and about twenty to Erbil in the Kurdistan region.

The official confirmed that the company will withdraw the employees due to the repeated missile attacks on the base, noting that the efforts made to persuade the company to stay were unsuccessful and when they were asked to postpone the decision, they said: We will leave within two or three months, and when you provide protection we will return to Iraq.

The newspaper suggested that Lockheed Martin's decision would lead to the suspension of the remaining number of F-16 aircraft, which casts doubts on Iraq's ability to fight ISIS militants without much help from the United States.

[yota691]

A security expert: The withdrawal of the American maintenance company will turn the Iraqi F-16 into a pile of iron

•  Time: 05/12/2021 13:07:16
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•  Read: 2,808 times

  

{Umniah: Al Furat News} The security expert, Fadel Abu Ragheef, said that the withdrawal of the American maintenance company {Lockheed Martin} from Balad Air Force base due to repeated missile strikes on it will turn the Iraqi F-16 fighters of American manufacture into a "useless pile of iron."

 

Abu Ragheef said in a press statement, "There are no longer any American or foreign combat forces in Iraq, except for maintenance companies," noting that "the existence of such companies is for the purpose of maintenance and maintenance only, and it is a very necessary presence, because it sustains {F-16} aircraft." That Iraq bought from the United States of America, and only this company can perpetuate it, and therefore; its presence means the presence of the Iraqi air force. "
He explained, "The withdrawal of the employees of this company will cause very serious damage, because with this withdrawal, these aircraft will turn into a mere pile of iron that is useless and useless."
The company, "Lockheed Martin" withdrew from Iraq, on Tuesday, threatening the entire program of maintenance of Iraqi combat aircraft.
The company left Balad Air Base, south of Salah al-Din Governorate, after "several missile attacks that the authorities seem unable to stop," as she put it.
“The company's technicians are conducting the necessary maintenance operations on Iraqi combat aircraft, and without these operations, combat sorties will not be possible,” the Iraqi military
said in a statement . The aircraft manufacturer said in a statement that it “is transferring the F-16 team that is based in Iraq.” Due to “considerations related to the safety of employees.”
The decision comes after the Balad air base, which hosts the planes and the company's technicians, was repeatedly subjected to missile strikes, the most recent of which was the bombing on May 3.
AFP quoted an Iraqi official, describing it as a high-ranking one, as saying that “crews The company has already left Monday morning, and the team includes 72 specialized technicians from Lockheed Martin, "while another military source also confirmed the team's departure from the base.
The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) said,"The US government is coordinating closely with the company to ensure continued support for the Iraqi F-16 program. "
Currently, the company is conducting deep maintenance operations on aircraft, with the help of Iraqi technicians who are performing less comprehensive and in-depth maintenance phases.
Ammar Al-Masoudi

[yota691]

Drones in Iraq: Time for Neighboring Countries to Worry?

 

Othman Al-Mukhtar

May 16, 2021

 

The international coalition is conducting an investigation into the attacks of Erbil and Ain Al-Assad (Mortada Al-Sudani / Anatolia)

 

Drones bombed in Iraq recently, on the front line of armed factions allied to Tehran, entered the US presence in the country, about 17 months after the attacks targeting camps and bases hosting US forces and the international coalition forces in northern, central and western Iraq were limited to 107 Katyusha rockets. Limited effect, and the Russian "grad".

Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq and Ain Al-Assad base in Anbar Governorate, in the west of the country, respectively, witnessed attacks by booby-trapped drones on April 15 and May 8, which caused limited losses in an attachment to the American forces inside Erbil airport , in When the situation was less severe in the "Ain Al-Assad" base, as the attack caused limited damage to an empty hall located near a helicopter runway south of the base, according to what senior military sources in Baghdad revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. The sources said that a team from the International Coalition and the Joint Operations Command is conducting an extensive investigation into the two attacks by examining parts of the two aircraft, which appear to be of a fixed-wing type, and they were locally developed and parts of them removed to enable us to carry explosive charges of more than 10 kilograms each, in addition to They are equipped with a target orientation device.

 

US forces' missile interceptors are unable to handle this type of attack

Baghdad and the international coalition led by Washington are dealing with grave concern with the entry of booby-trapped planes on the front line for several reasons. The first is that the missile repellant systems (C-RAM), which were provided by the US forces at their embassy in the Green Zone and Camp Victoria near Baghdad International Airport, as well as the bases of Erbil and “Ain al-Assad”, are unable to deal with this type of attacks, as they failed to confront The last two attacks were in Erbil and Ain Al-Assad. The entry of this weapon makes the issue of the security fortifications of those bases useless due to the range of the aircraft, which can reach more than 40 kilometers and the reality of a one-way trip towards the target.

In the context, a high-ranking military official in Baghdad revealed to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that an extensive investigation by the International Coalition Forces, with the participation of an Iraqi security apparatus, revealed the source of these aircraft and the parties behind them. The official, a brigadier general in the Military Intelligence Directorate at the Ministry of Defense, said, "The attacks on the bases of Erbil and Ain Al-Assad were carried out by two aircraft of the same type, and parts of them have been found." "Investigations indicate that the two fixed-wing aircraft made of lightweight fiber-class material, operate with an electric charging motor, and were equipped with a GPS device and a remote control card, and they are capable of carrying weights of up to 8 kilograms of light, highly explosive C4," he said. .

 

The official, who requested anonymity, revealed that "this type of aircraft is available with certain factions in Iraq, most notably Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Hezbollah, the Nujaba Movement and the Badr Organization, and it was previously used in Mosul and Baiji during the battles in 2015 and 2016, during the restoration of cities from The control of ISIS, and it is believed that these factions continue to develop this type of aircraft in their fortified sites. "

Regarding the next step after the investigation conducted by the coalition, the official said that he does not rule out that "the United States places the sites likely to be in charge of the development and manufacture of such aircraft among the goals that it might target in the future in the event of such attacks being repeated," speaking of "concern about That these factions have obtained or are in the process of acquiring drones powered by fuel engines, as they are more able to fly farther distances, and are also more capable of carrying explosive weights than electric cargo planes. "

The factions are believed to be continuing to develop drones in their fortified locations

And last Sunday, the Joint Iraqi Operations Command revealed what it described as "a new effort to prevent the repeated targeting of vital installations and sites by booby-trapped drones," according to a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency, "Conscious," in which the Command's spokesperson, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, said, "There is work." On the security level, the Joint Operations Command began with the development of the bombing method. He explained that "this work includes developing the capabilities and capabilities of the technical effort carried out by the security forces, especially the security cordons surrounding vital targets." He added that "using the method of bombed aircraft, and sending these aircraft to important vital targets is a new development, but there is corresponding to this development, which is the use of a great technical effort to take advantage and work to enter the vibrations or the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as the cyberspace of the waves used by such aircraft." ". He continued that "

 

Hatem Al-Falahi, an expert on Iraqi military affairs and a researcher at the Al-Rafidain Center for Strategic Studies, said in an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, “The beginning of the use of drones by armed groups allied with Tehran brings the country into a new phase.” He added, "There is no doubt that we are facing a new phase of military escalation between the United States and its partners on the one hand, and the militias and Iran on the other hand. There is also a clear American assessment of this danger, when (the commander of the US Central Command), General Kenneth Mackenzie, confirmed earlier. , That drones have become a threat to US forces and their partners in the region.

Al-Falahi: The infrastructure for the aircraft is Iranian, which is clear

Al-Falahi explained, "The seriousness of these attacks comes from multiple reasons, the first of which is that these aircraft are small in size and difficult to detect by radar devices, with low flying that reach the targets, and missile systems fail to deter them, in addition to the possibility of being easily launched from anywhere without the need for launch bases." Or missile-style platforms. " He continued: "The new method that the militias deal with, whether in Iraq or Yemen, is the use of booby-trapped aircraft that explode by collision, so we are now facing high-risk attacks for US forces in Iraq, or even against targets in the Iraqi neighborhood, and the leaks seem to be a part of the attacks. Which has targeted Saudi lands in recent months, from inside Iraq was logical day after day. "

Al-Falahi pointed out that "the origin of these aircraft is Iran, and it may have undergone some modifications in the militia camps inside Iraq, but in the end these modifications are also supervised by Iranian experts in developing the arsenal of armed factions, and thus the infrastructure of Iranian aircraft, which is clear." And he considered that "the forces of non-state in Iraq, their threat is no longer limited to Iraq and its institutions and the aspirations of its citizens towards a stable and secure country, but also poses a threat to the countries of the region, especially neighboring Saudi Arabia, in light of the escalation of its military power day after day with Iranian support," noting That "the Americans are unable to protect their bases in Iraq from these marches."

Officer: The current aircraft in use are still not wide-impact

Earlier, MP Karim Al-Baldawi, a member of the Al-Fateh coalition, the political wing of the "Popular Mobilization" in the Iraqi parliament, said that the drone attacks were the responsibility of the Americans and the government of Mustafa Al-Kazemi. Al-Baldawi explained in a statement to reporters in Baghdad, that "the tension in the security situation and the escalation in bombing operations are borne by two parties; the first is the American forces, and the second is the Iraqi government. The latter is called upon to resolve the controversy over the presence of American forces, and to limit the matter to a few advisors and trainers, according to What is needed for them, "he refused to condemn the armed factions as being responsible for the attacks. He continued: "The use of drones to target the bases is a reaction to action, especially with the continued provocations by the United States and the blatant interference in Iraqi affairs by the Washington embassy in Baghdad, and for this reason the principle of confrontation has become wide open."

However, an officer in the Anbar Operations Command told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "the current aircraft in use are still not of wide effect, and their destructive diameter is limited, especially since the targets are military bases, not weapons stores or installations containing inflammable and destructive materials." He added, "There are concerns about the presence of drones with fuel engines with one or two cylinders, similar to those in Yemen , as these will not only pose a threat to military bases and installations inside Iraq, but even to the level of Iraq’s neighbors, specifically Saudi Arabia, because their range will be longer." The most dangerous and the most destructive. "

[yota691]

An American newspaper reveals the "biggest threat" to the coalition forces in Iraq

International

2021-05-29 | 09:24

 

 

 

1,837 Views

 

 

Today, Saturday, the Washington Post revealed the "biggest threat" to the international coalition forces in Iraq.

The newspaper pointed out, "the growing concern of US military officials in Iraq Of the drone attacks. ”

The Washington Post said, citing US military officials in Iraq“Concern has increased about militia attacks by drones,” indicating that “the militias are in Iraq They tend to use drones to avoid defensive systems. "

 

 

"The drones are the biggest threat to the coalition forces," she added Iraq According to officials.

The Washington Post, citing informed sources, stated that “in April, a drone targeted a hangar for the American intelligence services in Erbil, which raised the concern of officials in White House And the The Pentagon"Some American officials called for a military response, but the administration decided otherwise," the

newspaper said, quoting officials, to "a similar attack in May on the base Ain al-Assad He raised the concerns of the coalition leaders. "

[yota691]

 

The Iraqi authorities announce the downing of two drones at Ain Al-Assad base

 

•  

 2021-06-06 01:37

 

Iraq

[yota691]

The downing of two drones that tried to target the Ain Al-Assad base in Iraq

Iraq flag

 June 06, 2021 12:49 PM

Mubasher: The Security Media Cell in Iraq announced today, Sunday, the downing of two drones that tried to target the Ain Al-Assad base in western Iraq.

The cell stated in a statement, that the air defense system at Ain Al-Assad Air Base in Anbar Governorate confronted this morning, Sunday, June 6, two drones, and managed to shoot them down.

The cell did not announce any additional details about the incident, its circumstances and the party behind it.

[yota691]

Who performs the 'sensitive tasks'?

The New York Times: Iran has resorted to a new tactic in Iraq to reduce the expenses of the armed factions!

06.06.2021 - 14:28

 

 

  

people - Baghdad  

In the context of following up on the developments of the attacks attributed to the armed factions in Iraq, a press report indicated a new tactic that Iran has resorted to, perhaps to reduce the factions' expenses based on changing the method of operations inside the country.  

  

 

  

The report, published by the New York Times, and translated by Nass, on Sunday (6 June 2021), was based on statements by Iraqi and US officials to analyze the recent attacks in which drones were used.  

Report text:  

The United States faces a rapidly evolving threat from Iranian proxies in Iraq after militia forces specialized in operating more sophisticated weapons, including armed drones, hit some of the most sensitive American targets in attacks that evaded American defenses.  

  

Those militias have used at least three times in the past two months small aircraft loaded with explosives to bombard and ram their targets in late-night attacks on Iraqi bases — including those used by the US Air Force and US special operations units, according to US officials.  

General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the top US commander in the Middle East, said last month that drones posed a serious threat and that the military was rushing to devise ways to combat them.  

  

Iran - weakened by years of harsh economic sanctions - is using its proxy militias in Iraq to escalate pressure on the United States and other world powers to negotiate relief from those sanctions as part of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. Iraqi and US officials say Iran designed the drone attacks to minimize casualties. that could prompt the United States to retaliate.  

  

With technology provided by Iran's Quds Force - the foreign arm of Iran's security apparatus - drones are quickly becoming more sophisticated at a relatively low cost, said Michael Mulroy, a former CIA officer and senior Middle East policy official at the Pentagon.  

  

"The drones are important, and it is one of the most important threats our forces face there," he said.  

  

A senior Iraqi national security official said the drones are a challenge, but they are tools, not the core of the problem.  

  

"It's a tool of pressure," said the official, who asked not to be identified so he could speak freely about Iran. He added, "Iran is suffocating economically. The more it suffers, the more these attacks increase. The problem is the conflict between the United States and Iran."  

  

Iran has used proxy militias in Iraq since 2003 to influence Iraqi politics and threaten the United States beyond its borders.  

  

Since late 2019, Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have launched more than 300 attacks against U.S. interests, killing four Americans and about 25 others, most of them Iraqis, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment published in April. In the past year, a proliferation of previously unknown armed groups appeared, some of which claimed responsibility for missile attacks on American targets.  

  

The increased precision of drone attacks this year marks an escalation of more common missile attacks that US officials have deemed most harassing. The attacks, launched from mobile launchers, targeted the US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone and military bases where about 2,500 US troops and thousands of US military contractors operate.  

  

In contrast, some US analysts say, militants are now targeting sites, even specific hangars, where advanced armed MQ-9 Reaper aircraft and contractor-operated turboprop reconnaissance aircraft are stationed in an attempt to disrupt or cripple the critical US reconnaissance capability to monitor threats in Iraq.  

  

The United States has used Reapers for its most sensitive strikes, including the killing of Iran's top security and intelligence commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a high-ranking Iraqi government official and leader of Iraqi militia groups, in Baghdad in January 2020.  

  

While the United States has installed defenses against missile, artillery and mortar systems at facilities in Iraq, armed drones fly too low to be detected by these defenses, officials said.  

  

Just before midnight on April 14, a drone strike targeted a CIA hangar inside the airport complex in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, according to three US officials familiar with the matter.  

  

No one was reported injured in the attack, but it has alarmed Pentagon and White House officials due to the classified nature of the facility and the sophistication of the strike, which the Washington Post previously reported.  

  

A similar drone attack in the early hours of May 8 on the sprawling Ain al-Asad air base in western Anbar province—where the United States also operates Reaper drones—has also raised concerns among U.S. commanders about the militia's changing tactics. Colonel Wayne Maroto, spokesman for the US-led coalition in Iraq, said the attack did not result in casualties, but damaged an aircraft hangar.  

  

Three days later, after midnight another drone struck an airport in Hariri, north of Erbil, used by the army's top-secret Joint Special Operations Command. Coalition officials said the explosive-laden drone crashed, causing no casualties or damage, but it fueled growing fears.  

  

While many attacks against US targets almost immediately generate claims of responsibility from militias, more sophisticated and longer-range drone attacks have not, another indication that Iran is behind them, according to US officials and independent analysts.  

  

“There is increasing evidence that Iran is trying to have, or have created some special, new groups capable of launching highly sophisticated attacks against American interests,” said Hamdi Malik, an associate fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who focuses on Shiite militias.  

  

US forces in Iraq operate under strict Iraqi guidelines focused on fighting the Islamic State, or ISIS. Iraq requires the US-led coalition to obtain approval to operate the reconnaissance drones, which focus on parts of Iraq where there are still pockets of ISIS and generally put the entire south of the country, the militia stronghold, off the border.  

  

There have been no US troops or diplomats stationed south of Baghdad since the United States closed its consulate in Basra three years ago, citing Iranian threats.  

  

"It's a very successful method of attack," said Michael Pregent, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former US intelligence officer deployed to Iraq. "It allows these attacks to be launched from areas outside the US military presence in Iraq," he added.  

  

Pregent said that by its nature, satellite surveillance can only be used to cover other parts of Iraq for a limited time and cannot track moving targets.  

  

In addition to attacks on US targets in Iraq, an armed drone believed to have been launched from southern Iraq struck the Saudi royal palace in Riyadh in January. According to Iraqi officials, Saudi Arabia and Iran are longstanding rivals of regional power and influence, and in groundbreaking talks between them in Baghdad in April, the Saudis demanded that Iran halt those attacks.  

  

During his visit to northeastern Syria last month, General McKenzie, the top commander of US forces in the region, said that military officials are developing ways to disrupt or disrupt communications between the drones and their operators, enhancing radar sensors to more quickly identify imminent threats, and finding effective ways to bring the drone down.  

  

In each of the known attacks in Iraq, at least some remnants of the drones were recovered, and initial analyzes indicated they were made in Iran or used technology supplied by Iran, according to the three US officials familiar with the incidents.  

  

These drones are larger than the commercially available quadcopters — the small four-rotor helicopters — that the Islamic State used in the battle for Mosul, but smaller than the MQ-9 Reapers, which have a wingspan of 66 feet. Military analysts say they carry between 10 and 60 pounds of explosives.  

  

Analysts say the technology is very similar to what US intelligence analysts have accused Iran of passing to Houthi rebels in Yemen to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the long-running war there.  

  

Iraqi officials and US analysts say that although cash-strapped Iran has cut funding for major Iraqi militias, it has invested in separating smaller, more specialized proxies who still operate within the larger militias but not under their direct command.  

  

US officials say it is likely that these specialized units have been entrusted with the politically sensitive task of carrying out the new strikes with drones.  

  

Iraqi security leaders say the groups bearing new names are front lines for the powerful Iran-backed traditional militias in Iraq such as Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. Iraqi officials say Iran has used the new groups to try to disguise its responsibility for strikes on US interests in discussions with the Iraqi government that often end in killing Iraqis.  

  

The Iraqi security official said members of the small and specialized groups were being trained at Iraqi bases and in Lebanon as well as in Iran by the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which oversees militias in the Middle East.  

  

US and Iraqi officials and analysts attribute the increasing unpredictability of militia operations in Iraq to the killing of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.  

  

"Because Iranian control of its militias has fragmented after the killing of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, competition between these two groups has increased," said Malik, a Washington Institute analyst.  

[yota691]

The American forces were aware of the attack on the Ain Al-Assad base

• SUNDAY, 06-06-2021,PM 2:37
•  
• TAYSEER AL-ASSADI
•  
• 102

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http://non14.net/public/images/large/9-1622979478.jpeg

Today, Sunday, an Iraqi security source revealed that the American forces at the Ain al-Assad base in the west of the country had information about the attack on the base tonight.

The source told RT, "Information arrived hours before the attack to the American forces, which in turn prepared to confront the two planes and shoot them down."

He added, "The available information indicates that these attacks will not be interrupted during the coming period, but rather that they will increase."

Today, Sunday, the Security Media Cell in Iraq announced the downing of two drones that tried to target the "Ain al-Assad" base last night

[currenzcraze]

US army shoots down drones over Iraqi military base

US consistently blames Iran-linked Iraqi factions for rocket and other attacks on installations housing its personnel; same base targeted last month by armed UAV

By AFPToday, 12:52 pm  

An aerial file photo taken from a helicopter shows Ain al-Asad air base in the western Anbar desert, Iraq, December 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)

• BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — The Iraqi army said Sunday that two drones were destroyed above a base housing US troops, one month after the same base was targeted by an armed drone.

The US military’s C-RAM defense system was activated to shoot down the drones above the Ain al-Assad base, located in Iraq’s western desert, the Iraqi military said.

Several hours earlier, a rocket was shot down above Baghdad airport, “without causing casualties or damage,” said Colonel Wayne Marotto, spokesman for the US-led military coalition in Iraq.

 

The coalition was sent to Iraq to help the country’s military fight the Islamic State jihadist group — a campaign that Baghdad declared won in late 2017.

A picture taken on January 13, 2020, during a press tour organized by the US-led coalition fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group, shows a US soldier walking past a drone at the Ain al-Asad airbase in the western Iraqi province of Anbar (Ayman Henna / AFP)

There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq, feeding into total coalition troop strength of 3,500.

The US consistently blames Iran-linked Iraqi factions for rocket and other attacks against Iraqi installations housing its personnel.

Since the start of this year, there have been 39 attacks against US interests in Iraq. The vast majority have been bombs against logistics convoys, while 14 were rocket attacks, some of them claimed by pro-Iran factions.

In this February 23, 2017 photo, US Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle on a joint base with the Iraqi army, south of Mosul, Iraq. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed, File)

For Western diplomats and high-ranking military officials in Iraq, the attacks are not only a danger to US personnel, but they also compromise the fight against ISIS, which retains sleeper cells in mountainous and desert areas.

 

“Those attacks are a distraction,” said one such source. “The only people they are helping are jihadists because every time they attack a base where the coalition has advisors, those advisors have to stop what they are doing to concentrate on force protection.”

The use of drones against American interests by Iran-linked factions is a relatively new tactic.

The US military has previously accused pro-Iran Iraqi groups of helping Yemen’s Houthi rebels carry out attacks using such devices against Saudi interests.

[yota691]

Iraq: "Ain al-Assad" base was targeted by two drones

Posted on Monday, June 7, 2021. 12:39 am

• 

    BAGHDAD - At dawn on Sunday, the Iraqi air defense batteries shot down two booby-trapped drones over an air base housing American soldiers in Iraq, in a new offensive technique that is being used by armed factions loyal to Iran, and has become a concern for Iraqis and Americans.
The Air Defense batteries "C-RAM", which the Americans set up to counter the missile attacks that intensified against their soldiers and diplomats, shot down two drones at dawn over the Ain Al-Asad air base located in the Anbar desert region in western Iraq.
Previously, another missile targeted Baghdad airport at night, "which did not result in casualties or damage," according to the spokesman for the US-led International Coalition to Combat Militants, Colonel Wayne Maroto.
This attempted attack against the Ain al-Assad base raises the concern of military officials in the international coalition led by the United States, an enemy in Iran. The United States deploys 2,500 soldiers in Iraq out of 3,500 members of the coalition forces in Iraq.
The US military accuses the Iraqi factions loyal to Iran of helping Houthi militants in Yemen who carry out drone attacks against Saudi Arabia on the border with Iraq and Yemen.
Since mid-April, the Iraqi factions have used drone technology against US targets in Iraq. Western military officials and diplomats in Iraq believe that these attacks not only pose a threat to many of them, but also threaten their ability to combat ISIS, which still maintains sleeper cells in the desert and mountainous regions of the country.
The Iraqi authorities have been trying for years to deter the perpetrators of these attacks, while some of these factions have become affiliated with the official Iraqi forces, or have relations and contacts with them. (Agencies)

 

[nannab]

And why are our forces not hitting back big time? I bet they know exactly where the cowards are

located. 

[yota691]

 

The Iraqi army honors soldiers who thwarted an attack by two drones on the Ain Al-Assad base

 

•  

 2021-06-09 07:07

 

Shafaq News/ An official military source at Ain Al-Assad Air Base in Al-Baghdadi district, west of Anbar province, revealed on Wednesday that Al-Jazeera and Al-Badia Operations Command honored a number of members of the Iraqi air defense unit present at the base, against the background of their repulsing an attack targeting the base with two drones.

The source, who is a lieutenant colonel, said in an interview with Shafaq News Agency, "After the air defense unit of the First Division in the Iraqi army managed to thwart the last attack launched on the base through two drones, the division honored the elements who managed to shoot down two drones." They targeted al-Qaeda at dawn on Sunday this week."

Last Sunday, June 6, the Security Media Cell announced the downing of two drones at Ain Al-Assad base

[currenzcraze]

Rockets target US facility in Iraq, again

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN   

JUNE 10, 2021 01:12

US F-16 fighter jet arrives at a military base in Balad, north of Baghdad July 13, 2015. 

(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)

These rockets are one of many attacks on US forces in Iraq over the last two years.

 

Three rockets targeted Balad Air Base in central Iraq's Salahuddin province on Wednesday, according to a military statement. These rockets are one of many attacks on US forces in Iraq over the last two years. 

 

The attacks are usually carried out by pro-Iran militias linked to official paramilitary groups and political parties. In the past, they have used 107mm and 122mm rockets, as well as drones - there have been at least four drone attacks on US facilities in Erbil and Al-Asad. 

 

While the Balad air base has US contractors, the US has pointed out there are no US troops on the base. Nevertheless, it has been a frequent target. Sabareen news first reported the incident and then other reports in Iraq appeared to confirm it. 

 

Wednesday was an auspicious day for Iran and Iraq. Earlier in the day, IRGC Quds Force head Esmail Ghaani reportedly arrived in Baghdad. Additionally, Qassam Muslih was released from prison after being accused of previous attacks on US forces and killing Iraqi protesters. He is the Al-Tofuf (Liwa Al-Tafuf) brigade commander and allegedly linked to pro-Iran militias.  

 

Muslih’s brigade was formed to protect a shrine in Karbala and he was considered close to Ayatollah Sistani, according to expert Jason Brodsky who tweeted about the incident. 

 

 

However, Muslih was apparently expelled from the pro-Sistani unit and established his own pro-Iran unit several years ago. The unit was accused of attacks on Kurds in 2017 clashes. He was a key pro-Iran commander in Anbar over the last years. Pro-Iran militias in Iraq have killed protesters and threatened the Prime Minister. They have also threatened Israel in recent years. 

 

The Balad base has US contractors who do maintenance on Iraqi F-16s. In May reports said Lockheed Martin pulled contractors from Balad because of threats. There are also contractors of Sallyport Global at Balad. In February, four rockets targeted the base. In March another five rockets were fired at the base. On April 18 the US-led Coalition said that “it is being reported that Balad Air Base was attacked with rockets tonight. There are no Coalition/US Forces stationed at Balad Air base.” Six rockets were fired at the base that night.  

 

In June 2019 reports said there were some 400 employees or contractors at the site and some were to be evacuated at that time due to threats. 20 of the remaining 70 Lockheed contractors were supposed to go to Erbil in May according to a report at The Drive. 

[yota691]

Security media reveals details of the attack on Baghdad airport

•  Time: 06/10/2021 01:15:41
•  
•  Reading: 5,759 times

  

{Umniah: Al Furat News} The Security Media Cell announced the details of the attack on Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday evening.

The useful summary.. In important news, you can find it in the Euphrates News channel on the telegram.. To subscribe, click here

A statement of the cell, which the agency {Euphrates News} received a copy of, stated, “After an outlaw group targeted Balad Air Base on Wednesday evening with three missiles without causing human or material losses, it returned again late on Wednesday night and targeted Baghdad International Airport with 3 drones, one plane was shot down, and we will provide you with details later regarding the position of the remaining two planes.”
The statement added, "The security forces are determined to pursue all those who try to tamper with the security and stability of Iraqi society, and to bring them to justice to receive their just punishment."
Ammar Al Masoudi

[yota691]

Security Media Cell Confirmed: 3 Missiles Fell On Balad Air Base This Evening,

Wednesday 09 , June 2021 | Security Read Counter 23

Baghdad / NINA / - The Security Media Cell confirmed that three missiles fell on Balad Air Base this evening, without causing human or material losses./End

[yota691]

Official statement: 3 drones target Baghdad International Airport

06.10.2021 - 01:20

 

  

Baghdad - people   

The Security Media Cell said, at dawn on Thursday, that an attack was carried out by 3 drones targeting Baghdad International Airport, while confirming that one of them had been shot down.  

  

 

  

A statement by the cell, which "Nass" received, a copy of at dawn on Thursday (June 10, 2021), said, "After an outlaw group targeted Balad Air Base on Wednesday evening with three missiles without causing human or material losses, it returned again late on Wednesday night. And Baghdad International Airport was targeted by 3 drones, one plane was shot down, and we will provide you with details later regarding the position of the remaining two planes.  

The cell's statement added, "The security forces are determined to pursue all those who are tempted to tamper with the security and stability of Iraqi society, and to bring them to justice to receive their just punishment."  

 

 

 

On Wednesday evening, the Security Media Cell announced that 3 missiles had landed on Balad Air Base in Salah al-Din Governorate.  

The cell said in a statement, a copy of which was received by Nass, (June 9, 2021), that "three missiles fell on Balad Air Base this evening, Wednesday."    

She added, "No human or material losses were recorded as a result of the bombing."    

The cell did not provide other details about the incident.    

[yota691]

America offers a reward to anyone who points to the attackers of its interests in Iraq

 

Friday - 1 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1442 AH - 11 June 2021 AD, issue number [15536]

 

 

An Iraqi soldier patrols a street in Baghdad (Reuters)

Baghdad - Washington: "Asharq Al-Awsat"

Yesterday, the United States allocated a reward of up to 3 million dollars to anyone who provides information on attacks targeting its interests in Iraq, in the wake of an attack by three drones on a base where its soldiers are stationed in the country.

 

While the international coalition led by the United States in Iraq saw that the attacks undermine efforts to combat terrorism, the commander of the US Central Command in the Middle East, Kenneth McKenzie, announced that his forces "will not tolerate taking what is appropriate to defend themselves." A few hours after announcing a settlement between Mustafa Al-Kazemi’s government and armed factions in Iraq, according to which the leader of the “Popular Mobilization” Qassem Mosleh was released, General Ismail Qaani, the commander of the Iranian “Quds Force” contributed to finalizing it, the pro-Iranian factions launched an illegal attack. Three drones were preceded on Baghdad airport, one of which was shot down, according to the Iraqi army.

The attack on Baghdad Airport is the fourth in Iraq with a booby-trapped drone, and the 42nd since the beginning of the year, but this is the first time that this new offensive technology has been used in the Iraqi capital. At night, two of the five Katyusha rockets fired at Balad air base (near the headquarters of the American company specialized in aircraft maintenance) fell on the Iraqi F-16, which is included in the base.