US Forces Shoot Down Two Bomb Drones Approaching Facility In Iraq After Iran Vowed Revenge Over General Soleimani’s Death

The United States military on Monday reportedly shot down two armed drones heading towards a facility housing American advisers at the exact airport where drones killed Iranian General, Qassemi Soleimani, two years ago following Donald Trump’s orders.

The drones were shot down by the C-RAM defence system, which protects American installations in Iraq, it was learnt.

But there were no reports of damage or injuries from the incident.

However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although one of the wings of the drone had an inscription which read, ‘Soleimani’s revenge’ painted on it.

According to the coalition and Iraqi officials, “These are attacks against Iraqi installations and an attack against the Iraqi people and the military that protects them.

“We maintain a minimal footprint on Iraqi bases. The coalition no longer has its own bases in Iraq.”

Soleimani, before his eventual death, had headed the Quds Force, the shadowy operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards with links to jihadists in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Yemen. 

The general was blown up in his motorcade by a Reaper drone missile outside Baghdad airport in 2020 in a strike ordered by Trump after intelligence revealed Soleimani was planning attacks on American soldiers in Iraq.   

Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, delivered a speech during a ceremony in the capital Tehran on January 3 in commemoration of the second anniversary of the killing of Soleimani.

During the ceremony, Raisi promised to avenge the killing of the general, calling former US President Trump an ‘asssasin’ who must face ‘retribution’.

Raisi while addressing Tehran’s largest mosque, stated that, “The aggressor and main assassin, the then President of the United States must face justice and retribution’ alongside former US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and other criminals”.

“I will tell all US leaders that without a doubt the hand of revenge will emerge from the sleeve of the Muslim nation.”

Though the US-led coalition formally ended its combat mission supporting Iraqi forces in the ongoing fight against ISIS in December 2021, almost 2,500 troops remain in the country as the coalition shifts to an advisory mission to continue supporting Iraqi forces.