Iraqi authorities appear to be trying to downplay an incident that took place overnight between Monday and Tuesday, when several drones struck radar installations at key bases in Iraq.
The initial reports in Iraq said drones had hit Camp Taji, a massive military base north of Baghdad. Another drone struck the Imam Ali base near Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.
“On Wednesday, Iraqi authorities arrested activist Abbas al-Ardawi over a social media post alleging that Iraqi radar systems supported Israeli strikes on Iran,” Shafaq News in Iraq reported Wednesday. “Al-Ardawi, a commentator with over 90,000 followers on X/Twitter and known for backing pro-Tehran factions, claimed in a now-deleted post that radar at the Taji base had assisted Israeli operations.”
Why is Iraq seeking to silence a commentator who is pro-Iranian? Iraqi authorities are generally close to Iran. Did the sensitivities of the recent Israel-Iran clashes between June 13 and June 24 lead Baghdad to crack down? Or did Ardawi say too much?
What is known about the drone attacks?
According to an article in The Long War Journal (LWJ), “Unknown actors, strongly thought to be Iran-backed Shiite militias, launched attacks on US and Iraqi bases throughout Iraq.”
“Sabah al Numan, the military spokesman for Iraq’s prime minister, acknowledged the attacks in a statement released on the prime minister’s official X account, the report said.
“Several small suicide drones targeted multiple Iraqi military sites and bases,” Numan was quoted as saying. “The assault severely damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar Province. No human casualties were reported.”
The LWJ report is interesting because it says, “According to Iraqi military sources speaking to Asharq al Awsat, the attack on Camp Taji destroyed a TPS77 long-range air radar. At the Imam Ali Base, the drones struck an AN/TPQ36 mobile, short-range radar.”
Iraqi forces supposedly were able to intercept drone attacks against four other targets. The drones were downed in some manner.
“All of the targeted locations are exclusively military facilities under the control of the Iraqi security forces,” Numan was quoted as saying.
Iraq’s prime minister has reportedly established a committee to investigate the attacks.
The sites that were attacked include the Camp Taji, Imam Ali, and Balad air bases. The US used to have personnel at those sites, but most Americans redeployed from there in 2020 after a number of attacks by pro-Iranian militias.
The militias are familiar with the bases. However, the use of precision-guided attack drones to hit radar installations indicates not only precision and planning but also a desire to take out radar systems.
Why would the pro-Iranian militias want to get rid of the radar installations? Is it because they think the data is shared with US Central Command, and they know Israel is now a part of CENTCOM? Is it because they want to fly drones over Iraq with impunity, and they don’t want Iraq to know?
In the past, the militias have used drones to attack Israel. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the militias, even targeted Jordan in January 2024, killing three American service members. They have also targeted Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region.
The report about Ardawi’s arrest presents a new piece of the puzzle.
“The Defense Ministry, responsible for his arrest, characterized al-Ardawi’s statement as incitement, accusing him of defaming the security establishment and spreading unsupported allegations,” Shafaq News reported.
“It stated that while freedom of expression is legally protected, it does not cover content that incites unrest or circulates baseless claims – particularly during periods of heightened regional tension – and urged media professionals and online users to act responsibly in their public messaging.”