Ashab al-Kahf faction claims drone strike on Baghdad airport

2026-03-20 - 23:20

Shafaq News- Baghdad The armed group Ashab al-Kahf said on Saturday it carried out a drone strike targeting a site near Baghdad International Airport, as repeated attacks hit facilities linked to the US presence in Iraq. In a statement, the group said it struck what it described as the “Victoria base” in Baghdad using a drone and warned civilians to stay away from areas hosting US forces. US sources previously told Shafaq News that no base officially operates under that name, noting that the former Victory Base Complex was handed over to Iraqi authorities in 2011. The area now hosts a logistics and diplomatic support facility used by the US mission. A security source said earlier that a new strike hit near the logistics support center at the airport without activation of the C-RAM air defense system, mirroring a similar incident late Friday. The United States Army has not commented on the failure to activate the system in recent attacks, as reports circulate about the evacuation of US personnel from the site. The facility -also referred to as the diplomatic support center- has come under repeated attacks in March, many claimed by factions aligned with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI). The incidents coincide with a surge in strikes targeting US-linked sites in Baghdad and Erbil, amid escalating regional tensions following the US-Israeli campaign against Iran launched on Feb. 28.