A defective drone in Iraq may have helped keep America from being dragged deeper into a widening Middle East conflict. The drone, which was launched at the Erbil air base by an Iranian-backed militia before sunrise on Oct. 26, penetrated US air defenses and crashed into the second floor of the barracks housing American troops at about 5 a.m., according to two US officials who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely about the attack. The explosive laden device failed to detonate and only one service member suffered a concussion from the impact.
The incident was among at least 40 separate drone and rocket attacks that have been launched at US forces by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria over the past three weeks in response to American support for Israel in the Gaza war, according to Pentagon data and the two US officials. |