Iraqi army downs drone over Kirkuk after attacks in Anbar

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi army on Thursday downed an “unidentified drone” flying at low altitude over one of its positions in Kirkuk, the defense ministry said, hours after a separate drone attack targeted a military site in Anbar and a day after a deadly strike on a military facility in the same province.

An “unidentified drone” was detected flying at low altitude within the area of responsibility of the Iraqi army’s Third Regiment, 44th Brigade, 11th Infantry Division under the Kirkuk Operations Command at around 11:00 am local time, the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that it was “dealt with immediately.”

A detachment from the same regiment “succeeded in shooting the drone down in the village of al-Fakhira, without recording any notable losses,” the statement added, noting that “the necessary technical measures” were taken to handle the situation in accordance with established procedures.

“Our forces maintain high readiness and constant vigilance in confronting any threat targeting the security of areas of responsibility,” the defense ministry said, emphasizing that “such attempts will not affect the performance of duties and will be met with firmness and strength.”

The statement came shortly after an Iraqi army position in Rutba district, in Iraq’s western Anbar province near the Syrian border, was targeted in a separate drone attack earlier in the day.

Rutba district mayor Imad al-Dulaimi told Rudaw that “at 2:00 am local time, a drone attack targeted the Iraqi army’s 79th Brigade,” adding that “the strike did not result in any casualties.”

Dulaimi said the targeted site was a base used for launching drones, located about 90 kilometers from the center of Rutba, noting that the source of the attack has not yet been officially identified.

The apparent surge in drone attacks against Iraqi army positions comes after a military medical center in the Habbaniyah region, also in Anbar, was also shelled on Wednesday, killing seven Iraqi soldiers and injuring nearly two dozen others.

The Iraqi government condemned the incident as a “crime,” prompting Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to instruct the foreign ministry to summon the chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Baghdad and deliver a strongly worded protest note.

Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Iraqi premier, further denounced the attack as “irresponsible,” noting that it comes at a time when Iraq is seeking to distance itself from the ongoing Iran-Israel-US war that has been raging since late February.