Five drones were downed close to Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Friday morning, while a sixth drone crashed in a nearby agricultural area, as per a local security source. The drones targeted Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, with five being shot down near the airport and the sixth crashing, causing a fire in crops and grass. Civil defense teams were deployed to extinguish the fire.
Erbil has experienced a series of drone attacks recently, with the US Consulate and the international coalition base near the airport appearing to be among the targets. The heightened tensions in the Middle East have been evident following recent exchanges of strikes between the United States and Iran.
The US Consulate in Erbil had its air defense systems shoot down four drones aimed at the facility on Tuesday evening, according to a local security source. The Kurdish security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, mentioned that the air defenses intercepted the drones before they could reach their target, with initial reports indicating no casualties.
Ahmed Hoshyar, the director of Erbil International Airport, announced a temporary flight suspension due to the wave of drone attacks on Tuesday. However, operations resumed shortly after the suspension. The US Consulate in Erbil has been a frequent target of drone attacks in recent days.
