Italian Base in Iraqi Kurdistan Hit by Drone Strike, No Casualties Reported

Officials from the Italian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that an Italian military base in Iraqi Kurdistan came under an overnight airstrike, according to Arab News.

“There are no casualties or injuries among the Italian personnel. They are all fine,” the Defense Ministry said on X, shortly after midnight.

At the beginning, the ministry described the incident as a missile strike on the Italian base in Irbil.

However, some officials reported that a drone had destroyed a military vehicle, likely by accident.

Ministry sources also clarified that the drone may not have targeted the Italian base intentionally but instead hit it accidentally after losing altitude.

The base commander, Col. Stefano Pizzotti, told Sky TG24 that personnel had been alerted to aerial threats and had taken shelter in bunkers hours before the strike.

Pizzotti also explained that it remained unclear where the strike had ⁠come from, noting that while the air raid alert had ended, experts were still inspecting and securing the area.

According to the ministry, Italy currently has roughly 300 troops stationed in Irbil, where they are training Kurdish security forces.

However, Pizzotti said numbers had recently been reduced due to the ​current concerns over ​the US-Israeli war on Iran.

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