An Italian Military Base Was Attacked In Iraq
- 12.03.2026, 14:16
There is a preliminary version of the cause of the impact.
On the night of March 12, the Italian military base in Erbil in northern Kurdistan came under fire. Italian and US troops are stationed there.
Italian Defense Ministry officials initially claimed an airstrike, but later said it was a drone that destroyed military equipment, writes Reuters.
"A missile hit our base in Erbil. There are no casualties or injuries among Italian personnel. Everyone is safe. The chief of defense staff and the COVI commander are keeping me updated," the ministry's X page reported.
Sources in the ministry added that the drone may not have been fired at the Italian base deliberately, but hit it accidentally after losing altitude.
The base commander, Col. Colonel Stefano Pizzotti, told Sky television channel TG24 that troops had been warned of the aerial threat and had taken refuge in bunkers hours before the strike. He said it was "unknown where the strike came from".Experts were still checking and securing the area.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also said in a post on X that the contingent was OK:
"I strongly condemn the attack on the Italian base in Erbil. Just spoke to the Italian ambassador to Iraq. Fortunately, all our soldiers are safe and healthy in the bunker. I express my solidarity and gratitude to them for their daily service to the homeland."
Anadolu Agency correspondent reported that a drone landed near Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq, where the military base is located, causing a fire. The base was previously home to about 300 Italian troops training Kurdish security forces, but troop numbers have recently been reduced due to the risk of a US-Israeli war against Iran.
After the airport's air defense systems were activated, explosions were heard, followed by a fire and rising puffs of smoke from the impact zone. Hours before the attack, a kamikaze drone shot down by air defense systems crashed into the building where the Kurdish Regional Government Cabinet meets.
Media and officials have not indicated who launched the drone, but suspect it may be Iran, which has begun hitting bases of U.S. and Israeli allies in the Persian Gulf in response to U.S. and Israeli military action.
On March 9, Iranian ballistic missiles attacked a German field camp in Jordan. They were fired from Iranian territory, and the strike hit the German part of Jordan's Al-Azraq airbase, where the U.S. Air Force is also stationed.