Iraq army shoots down explosives-laden drone flying over Baghdad

Two drones flying over Baghdad, one carrying explosives, were shot down by Iraqi security forces on Tuesday night, the Iraqi Security Media Cell said.

The drone carrying explosives was shot down by the Baghdad Operations Command in an empty area near the Rashid military camp just southeast of Baghdad, the Cell said in a statement.

A second drone was shot down in Kartan, an area south of Baghdad, another statement from the Cell read.

Explosives-laden drones are becoming an increasingly used weapon in attacks on military sites in Iraq, replacing rockets. The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an Iran-backed paramilitary coalition, showed off their drones in a rehearsal parade on June 13, the seventh anniversary of the PMF’s founding.

Attacks on military and diplomatic sites of Western interest have widely been blamed on Iran-backed militias, including factions of the PMF.

On Monday, an attack on Camp Victory, which is next to Baghdad International Airport and hosts US troops, was carried out using explosives-laden drones. 

The so-called International Resistance Faction, allegedly linked to the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah that falls under the PMF umbrella, claimed responsibility for an attack on a US-led coalition’s military convoy in Baghdad on Monday evening.