Explosive Drone Crashes Near Kurdistan Airbase Hosting US Military Experts

A drone rigged with explosives crashed near Harir airbase in the Kurdistan region on Wednesday, according to the regional Counter-Terrorism Service. The airbase is home to US military experts and agencies. The drone detonated at 12:18 local time in an open field outside Erbil, the Kurdish capital, without causing any casualties. Although the statement did not elaborate on who launched the drone or how it crashed, an anonymous source in Erbil told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that the base’s air defenses shot it down. Following the incident, Kurdish forces were dispatched to secure the area.

An unidentified group named Tashkil al-Waritheen claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement. The veracity of the claim has not been independently verified.