US army warns of increased use of drone attacks in Iraq

The US military commander in the Middle East, Marine General Frank McKenzie, on Saturday warned of the increased use of drones by pro-Iran militias to attack US forces in Iraq, AP reported.

McKenzie told reporters on Saturday that the US is struggling to deal with attacks launched using drones and said: “We’re working very hard to find technical fixes that would allow us to be more effective against drones.”

“Efforts were underway to look for ways to cut command and control links between a drone and its operator, improve radar sensors to quickly identify the threat as it approached, and find effective ways to bring them down,” he said, adding: “We’re open to all kinds of things.”

“The army is working very hard. Still, I don’t think we’re where we want to be,” he said.

McKinsey’s statements came about a month after an armed drone targeted US-led coalition forces near a northern Iraq airport in April, causing a large fire and damaging a building.

READ: Iraq military body vows to escalate attacks against US forces