Another Strange Milestone in Unmanned History

Unmanned Aircraft have chalked up another unfortunately historic milestone, as an attempted drone assassination of Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, was thwarted in the early morning hours of November 7, 2021.

The attack is said to be a major escalation in the dispute with Iran-backed militias over recent parliamentary election results that lost an opposing party dozens of seats. It may be the first credible assassination attempt made with an unmanned aerial system, being able to close with the target and cause fatalities in the inner circle, the action proves how quickly terror tactics are evolving to match new technology.

Iraqi officials told the Associated Press that 7 of the prime minister’s security guards were injured in the attack when three armed drones attacked inside Baghdad’s fortified, nominally safe, Green Zone. In the attack, two drones were downed by security, but the third made its way close enough to its target that it detonated by his residence. The bombed-out remnants of an SUV in the gateway, undetonated ordnance, and damage to the residence were posted online to illustrate the scope of the small explosive-laden drones. Al-Kadhimi made a televised appearance to the country to assuage concerns of his safety following the attack.

“Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future,” he said in an untranslated interview. Recently, his office released a statement, describing the act as the result of a criminal tug-of-war that has gone on since the nascent nation began rebuilding with international assistance. "The cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the home of the prime minister last night with the aim of assassinating him, is a serious targeting of the Iraqi state by criminal armed groups.”

FMI: https://gds.gov.iq