“Defective drone may have helped keep U.S. out of conflict in Middle East”
A defective drone in Iraq may have played a key role in preventing America from getting dragged further into a growing conflict in the Middle East. The drone was launched by an Iranian-backed militia at the Erbil air base on October 26 and managed to penetrate U.S. air defenses before crashing into a barracks housing American troops. The device, laden with explosives, failed to detonate, leaving only one service member with a concussion from the impact, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
This incident was one of approximately 40 separate drone and rocket attacks carried out against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria over the past three weeks. These attacks were in response to American support for Israel in the Gaza war. The vast majority of the rockets and one-way attack drones used in these assaults were intercepted by U.S. air defenses in Iraq and Syria, where a total of 3,400 American troops are based.
According to David Schenker, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state, both Iran and the U.S. are not seeking direct confrontation, but the risk of conflict is growing.
While President Joe Biden has sought to limit the U.S. role in the conflict, the attacks have intensified. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Iraq on Sunday to urge Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to crack down on the militias operating there and prevent any further escalation. However, Sudani’s attempts to persuade the militias to halt their attacks have largely been unsuccessful.
“I don’t think that the prime minister has the power to stop the attacks as long as Israel is committing atrocities in Gaza with American help,” said Iraqi Shi’ite lawmaker Arif al-Hamami.
Sudani recently flew to Tehran to appeal to Iranian officials for help in curbing the attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, fearing the potential of an American retaliation against the militants. The Iranian officials rejected his appeals, stating that the militias in Iraq make their own decisions, and Tehran wouldn’t intervene.
The attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq have raised alarms among U.S. officials, with growing concerns about Iran’s influence in the region. Critics of the Biden administration, including Republican lawmakers, have called for a stronger response to Iran, warning that the U.S. must take action to prevent further attacks on American soldiers in the region.