Drone blast hits Iraq airport in new tactic against US troops

Iraq's Arbil airport

An explosives-packed drone slammed into Iraq's Arbil airport in the first reported use of such a weapon against a base used by US-led coalition troops in the country, officials said Thursday. There were no casualties in the strike on the capital of northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region late Wednesday, although it did cause damage to a building in the military part of the airport. It comes after around 20 bomb and rocket attacks blamed on pro-Iran Shia armed groups against facilities used by coalition troops or diplomats in Iraq since US President Joe Biden took office in January. The attacks have mostly been claimed by shadowy Shia armed groups aligned with Iran who are demanding that the Biden administration set a pullout date for Iraq as it has for Afghanistan.