The drones are reported to have been an
iraqi military base housing u.s troops
in western anbar province, official said.
It is the second such attempted attack
coinciding with the anniversary of the
2020 Trump ordered u.s airstrike that
killed top Iranian General Qasim Solamani near Baghdad airport.
On monday two armed drones were shot
down as they headed toward a facility
housing u.s advisers at the same airport.
According to the official, the fixed-wing
drones rigged with explosives were
engaged and destroyed by defensive
capabilities at the Ain Al-Assad Air Base.
An Iraqi military statement confirmed
the attempted attack, saying the drones
were shot down outside the parameters of
the base. The facility houses troops with the
us-led international coalition fighting
the so-called islamic state group is in Iraq.
In monday's attack the drones were shot
down by the C-RAM defense system that
protects american installations in Iraq
and there were no reports of damage or
injuries from the incident. No group claimed responsibility for the
attack, although one of the wings of the
drones had the words, Solemni's revenge, painted on it, according to the coalition
and iraqi officials.
"These are attacks against iraqi
installations and an attack against the Iraqi people and the military that
protects them," a coalition official said.
Also hijacked media in Iran's sworn
enemy country, Israel with an ominous
image of a missile being fired from a
finger with a ring like solamani used to
wear appearing on the homepage of the Jerusalem post.
The 2020 u.s drone strike at Baghdad's Airport killed General Qasim Solamani, who was the head of Iran's elite goods
force and Abu Madi Al-Mohandas, Deputy Commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the popular mobilization
forces.
Pro-iran shia factions in iraq have
vowed revenge over the killing and have
conditioned the end of attacks against
the u.s presence in iraq on the full
exit of american troops from the country. The u.s led coalition formally ended its
combat mission supporting iraqi forces
in the ongoing fight against as last
month.
Some 2,500 troops will remain as the
coalition shifts to an advisory mission
to continue supporting iraqi forces. While we have ended our combat mission
we maintain the inherent right of
self-defense, the coalition official said.
Soleimani was killed on january 3/2021
in a drone strike near baghdad airport
ordered by then u.s, President Donald Trump.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on
monday that Trump must face trial for
the killing or Tehran would take revenge. Raisi issued the vengeful diatribe on
the second anniversary of Solemani's
death as thousands gathered for memorial
services at mosques in iran and allied
countries across the middle east.
Solemani headed the kudz force, the
shadowy operations arm of iran's
revolutionary guards, with links to
jihadists in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Yemen.
The commander was blown up in his
motorcade by a reaper-drone missile
outside Baghdad Airport in 2020 in a
strike ordered by Trump after
intelligence revealed solomani was
planning attacks on american soldiers in
iraq.
Addressing tehran's largest mosque, Raisi said the aggressor and the main assassin, the then president of the united states
must face justice and retribution
alongside former u.s secretary of state Mike Pompeo and other criminals. Otherwise, i will tell all u.s leaders
that without a doubt the hand of revenge
will emerge from the sleeve of the
muslim nation.
Trump, under whom tensions over iran's
nuclear program escalated leading to a
new and painful sanctions regime, ordered
the assassination which brought the
enemies to the brink of a direct
military confrontation.
Washington said at the time that
solemani was planning imminent action
against u.s personnel in Iraq. A war-battered country long torn between
principal allies Washington and Tehran.
January 3/2020 u.s strike killed Solamani and Abu Madi Al-Muhandis, deputy
leader of the iran-backed hashed Al-Shabi coalition of armed groups. The nighttime strike ordered by trump
struck a convoy in which soleimani and
muhandis were traveling on the edge of
the airport.
Solomoni, commonly known as the second
most powerful man in iran and tipped as
a future President was so badly maimed
in the strike that he had to be
identified by a large ring he wore on
his finger.
