Iranian Drone Attack Thwarted: Terrorist Cell Dismantled in Iraq
A new plot linked to Iranian elements has been foiled. According to Iraqi security services, the apprehended cell was preparing to use drones to carry out attacks outside the country's borders.
Iraqi security forces have arrested an armed cell in the Babil province, south of Baghdad. According to a report by the Al-Arabiya network, the group was linked to Iranian elements and was preparing to carry out attacks outside Iraqi territory using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The operation was exposed overnight after special forces managed to infiltrate the network and arrest its members.
Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Abadi stated that members of the Counter-Terrorism Service and the Iraqi Intelligence Service managed between Friday and Saturday night to "infiltrate and dismantle an armed network that planned to carry out operations against specific targets." According to him, equipment and drones were found in the possession of the cell members, and the suspects are currently under investigation.
"We are currently investigating a cell that possessed unmanned aerial vehicles, and the operation was thwarted," Al-Abadi added, without specifying the targets or the identity of the elements behind the plot.
Fire at an American diplomatic facility in Iraq (Photo: Arab networks)
However, sources for Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath in Iraq reported that the cell was arrested in the Babil province and was directly linked to Iranian figures. According to the report, these elements were involved in managing or executing drone attacks. The networks also published photos of the seized weapons and drones. The direct link to Iran and the intention to attack outside Iraq were attributed to the channels' sources and were not explicitly stated in the government spokesman's announcement.
The report gains additional significance against the backdrop of a Reuters publication from June, according to which the Iranian Revolutionary Guards established small secret cells in Iraq intended to carry out attacks in Gulf countries hosting American forces. According to eight Iraqi sources who spoke with the agency at the time, the move was intended to bypass some of the known militia networks and make it difficult to locate the perpetrators.
The arrest comes at a particularly sensitive time in Iraq. The Iraqi Prime Minister recently declared that his country is committed to preventing the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other countries. At the same time, the government is conducting contacts with armed factions in an attempt to centralize weapons in the hands of the state.
