Drone Intercepted Near Arbil Airport in Second Attack This Month
ARBIL, IRAQ — A drone loaded with explosives was intercepted and shot down near Arbil International Airport at approximately 2:20 AM local time (1120 GMT) on Monday, the Kurdistan Region’s counterterrorism services confirmed. No casualties or property damage were reported.
This marks the second drone incident near the airport in July. No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attempt.
Arbil Airport, which hosts a base for the US-led international coalition, has been a repeated target of rocket and drone strikes in recent years. The previous attack occurred on July 3, when another drone was brought down in the vicinity. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s interior ministry accused Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), known in Arabic as Hashed al-Shaabi, of orchestrating that strike.
The PMF, a coalition of pro-Iranian former paramilitary groups now integrated into Iraq’s official armed forces, has denied involvement. The federal government in Baghdad also rejected the Kurdistan authorities’ accusation, calling it “entirely unacceptable under any pretext” and stressing that the allegation lacked credible evidence.
In recent weeks, Iraq has experienced a noticeable surge in drone and rocket activity, with multiple unmanned aerial devices landing in unpopulated areas, raising concerns about growing regional instability.
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