By Daniel DePetris
For most people, the dawn of a new year is filled with hope and anticipation about possibilities in the months ahead. For U.S. troops still stationed in Iraq, however, the first several days of 2022 is looking a lot like 2021—with hostile fire bearing down at a moment's notice.
In the first five days of this new year, there have already been three separate attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq. The first, on Jan. 3, involved two fixed-wing "suicide drones" of unknown origin targeting the Diplomatic Support Center. The C-RAM air defense system that protects this facility, where U.S. military advisers are based, was activated immediately, shooting down the drones before they could reach impact.
The second attack, on Jan. 4, took place about 140 miles to the northwest, where two more fixed-wing drones carrying explosives approached the Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar Province. Yet again, the drones were obliterated before they could reach their target. The next day, Jan 5, five rockets landed near the same base. U.S. troops tasked with training and advising Iraqi security forces were able to escape all of these incidents without any casualties That's the good news.
This piece was originally published in Newsweek on January 5, 2022. Read more HERE.