US confirms drone attack on coalition base in Iraq, says ‘minimal damage’

Jul 19. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The US Department of Defense has confirmed that a drone attack took place on Tuesday against a base of the US-led international coalition where a large US contingent is deployed, although it “caused minimal damage.”

“On July 16, two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with a single-way attack system attacked U.S. and coalition forces at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. One was successfully destroyed and the other scored a hit but caused minimal damage,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said at a press conference.

The pro-Iranian militia coalition Islamic Resistance of Iraq has carried out dozens of attacks against US bases in both Iraq and Syria in a show of support for the Palestinian people following the conflict between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

This attack was the first recorded in the past five months against US facilities in the country, after these militias announced a halt to their attacks following the death of three US soldiers in the impact of a drone at a base on the border between Jordan and Syria.

The tensions prompted the Iraqi government to reiterate its request for the withdrawal of international troops from the country, arguing that they are no longer needed to combat the jihadist group Islamic State as they help destabilize the situation in the Asian country.