Yemeni drone specialist killed in US strike in Iraq
US and Iraqi military sources revealed that those killed in a US bombing near Baghdad last week included a Yemeni drone expert who went to Iraq to train militants supported by Iran.
The incident demonstrates the wide-ranging collaboration amongst armed groups Tehran backs, according to The Washington Post.
US officials revealed that the United States launched an airstrike last Tuesday against a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in southern Baghdad.
Security and medical sources in Iraq said that four members of the PMF, which includes multiple armed groups linked with Iran, were killed and four others were wounded, according to Reuters.
The PMF said in a statement that some of its members were killed and others were injured after missiles launched from drones targeted its base in northern Babylon (southern Baghdad) on Tuesday at 9:30 pm, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The US officials further explained that the strike was directed towards militants who the US believes were attempting to launch drones and constitute a danger to US and coalition forces.
Several rockets were fired the week before toward the Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq, which is home to US-led forces.
No damage or injuries were reported. None of the rockets, according to US sources, struck the base. With 2,500 US soldiers stationed in Iraq and Iran-backed militias connected to the PMF, Iraq has seen an increase in assaults since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out last October.
