UK troops shot down missiles, drones fired at coalition base in Iraq

Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire on August 28, 2021, as the troops return from assisting with the evacuation of people from Kabul airport in Afghanistan. (FILE/AFP)

• More than 100 munitions intercepted by RAF at base used to help counter Daesh
• As many as 28 drones, missiles fired at base per day at height of Iran conflict

LONDON: A base hosting coalition forces in Iraq was targeted by as many as 28 drones and missiles per day at the height of hostilities after the initial US-Israeli attack on Iran, Sky News reported on Thursday.

British soldiers from the Royal Air Force Regiment were responsible for intercepting more than 100 projectiles across a six-week period before a temporary ceasefire was agreed in April.

The base has hosted UK, US and other armed personnel for more than 10 years as part of efforts to counter Daesh in the region.

It has become a major target for Iran and proxy groups in the area retaliating after the US-Israeli strikes began.

Sky News reported that it was one of the most targeted sites of the early stages of the conflict, but that there had been no direct hits for three weeks.