A British base has come under attack from Iranian-linked drones that have ‘impacted’ the area, defence chiefs have confirmed.
Multiple drones hit an air base at Erbil, northern Iraq, last night (March 11). Soldiers have reportedly been injured in attacks but they are not British. American troops at the base were said to have suffered minor injuries, UK officials confirmed on Thursday.
Air defence forces shot down two drones, while others successfully struck an air base in the region. The Defence Secretary suggested that Vladimir Putin’s “hidden hands” may be behind some of Iran’s tactics in the Middle East conflict.
It marks the third successful strike against British forces since war began nearly two weeks ago. An unknown number of one-way attack bombs eluded air defences at the base, lightly wounding US troops stationed there.
The same base was hit on 1 March, with British personnel stationed within 400m of the missile strike. A day later, a drone hit RAF Akrotiri, the UK’s air base in Cyprus. It caused no casualties and “minimal damage”, according to Cypriot authorities.
British MP and Your Party leader Jeremy Corbyn told Middle East Eye: “Keir Starmer has dragged Britain into yet another illegal war. In doing so, he has jeopardised the safety of us all.
“The sooner the government realises the severity of its mistake, the better. That means ending its complicity in this illegal war, and rescinding permission for the foreign use of British bases.”
Lieutenant General Nick Perry, the UK’s chief of joint operations, stated there were “definitively” signs of a link between Russia and Iran, including Iran’s use of drones “as learned from the Russians”.
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