US ‘concerned’ about Iraq groups’ use of drones against coalition forces

Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, talks to journalists about the military response to rocket attacks that killed two U.S. and one U.K. service members in Iraq during a news briefing at the Pentagon on 13 March 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. [Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

Commander of the US Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie, said he was “concerned” about armed groups’ use of small drones to attack military bases in Iraq.

“We are seeing pressure from Iranian-affiliated militant groups that want to push us out of Iraq, and the latest manifestation of that has been the use of small unmanned aerial systems, or drones. Some of them are very small, some are a little bit larger – all can be very lethal,” General McKenzie told reporters on Monday, noting that the American troops are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government.

Last Sunday, the Iraqi Security Media Cell announced that it had thwarted and shot down two drones above the Ain Al-Asad army base, which hosts American troops.

Over the past few weeks, armed groups in Iraq have used drones to attack army bases hosting foreign troops in an effort to force them out of the country.

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