Exploding ISIS drone kills two Kurdish fighters, injures French special forces in Iraq
- 8 years ago
MOSUL, IRAQ — Two Kurdish fighters were killed and two French paratroops injured this week when a small ISIS-controlled drone exploded after being intercepted. A Kurdish defence spokesperson told Reuters the device has been booby-trapped.
On October 2, in an area north of the ISIS-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul, a small weaponized drone shot down by Kurdish soldiers and a special operations unit from France. The troops brought the drone back to base to examine it. As they were dismantling it, the drone exploded. A small, powerful explosive is believed to have been hidden inside the drone, disguised as a battery.
Two Kurdish soldiers were killed in the blast, and two members of the French special forces were badly injured. It remains unclear whether the bomb was remotely detonated, or was designed as a timed explosive. The drone used was likely a small, commercial commonly used by amateur drone pilots.
The weaponized drone attack is being reported as the first to successfully cause death.
On October 2, in an area north of the ISIS-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul, a small weaponized drone shot down by Kurdish soldiers and a special operations unit from France. The troops brought the drone back to base to examine it. As they were dismantling it, the drone exploded. A small, powerful explosive is believed to have been hidden inside the drone, disguised as a battery.
Two Kurdish soldiers were killed in the blast, and two members of the French special forces were badly injured. It remains unclear whether the bomb was remotely detonated, or was designed as a timed explosive. The drone used was likely a small, commercial commonly used by amateur drone pilots.
The weaponized drone attack is being reported as the first to successfully cause death.