Drone incidents reported across 14 Iraqi provinces in latest escalation

Shafaq News

A wave of drone strikes and attempted attacks has affected large parts of Iraq in recent days, with incidents reported in at least 14 of the country’s 19 provinces, according to security sources, local officials, and statements from the US-led Global Coalition.

Coalition officials said their forces intercepted most of the drones targeting US installations, while debris from downed aircraft fell across several provinces, injuring civilians in some locations. Other drones appear to have reached their intended targets, including facilities linked to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi Army, and foreign military bases.

The incidents represent one of the widest geographic spreads of drone activity recorded in Iraq in recent years, affecting military installations, oil infrastructure, and diplomatic facilities across both federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

How The Information Was Compiled

The following list is based on security briefings, local government statements, and reports from field sources collected by Shafaq News between March 1 and March 13.

Some locations represent confirmed strikes, while others involve intercepted drones or debris that fell after air defenses engaged incoming aircraft.

Officials have not released a full official list of targeted locations.

Main Strike Patterns

Analysis of the incidents indicates four primary target categories:

· US and coalition military facilities.

· PMF headquarters and bases linked to resistance factions.

· Strategic infrastructure, including oil fields.

· Iranian opposition parties.

Several incidents also occurred near civilian areas after drones were intercepted by air defenses, causing debris to fall across residential neighborhoods and open land.

Airstrikes hit Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, Kataib Hezbollah sites in #Iraqhttps://t.co/leyNGUtoar

— SHAFAQ NEWS ENGLISH (@SHAFAQNEWSENG) March 13, 2026

Provinces Reporting Drone Incidents

Western Iraq – Al-Anbar

Reported incidents include:

• PMF headquarters in Al-Qaim district near the Syria border.

• A second PMF site near the border strip in Al-Qaim.

• Facilities linked to armed factions in Akashat.

• Locations linked to armed factions in Fallujah.

• Positions in Al-Karma and Al-Saqlawiyah.

• An Iraqi Army installation in Al-Nukhayb.

The region hosts several logistical routes used by armed groups operating between Iraq and Syria.

Northern Iraq – Nineveh and Kirkuk

In Nineveh province, several sites linked to PMF brigades and resistance factions were reported among the targets:

• PMF 50th Brigade headquarters in Batnaya.

• PMF 30th Brigade headquarters in Bartella.

• Locations linked to factions in the Nineveh Plain.

• Positions near Al-Qayyarah.

• An Iraqi Army site in Makhmour.

In Kirkuk province, incidents were reported at:

• A PMF headquarters in the Badr neighborhood.

• A PMF site between Bashir and Tuz Khurmatu.

Read more: Iraq’s oil lifeline under pressure: US-Iran war reshapes Baghdad’s economic calculus

Central Iraq – Baghdad and Babil

Several high-profile sites were linked to the wave of incidents in Baghdad:

• The US Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone

• A US diplomatic logistics facility at Baghdad International Airport

• Camp Saqr, a major PMF site south of Baghdad

In Babil province, a PMF facility in Jurf al-Nasr (Jurf al-Sakhr) was also listed among reported targets.

Southern Iraq

Reported incidents extended into southern provinces:

Basra

• Basra Operations Command

• Majnoon oil field

• Al-Bargesia energy facilities

Dhi Qar

• Imam Ali Airbase

Maysan

• An Iraqi Army border checkpoint

Al-Muthanna

• A desert area near Al-Samawah

Kurdistan Region

Several incidents were reported around military and energy facilities in the Kurdistan Region.

Erbil

• Harir Base, hosting US forces

• Erbil International Airport, where coalition troops operate

• US Consulate compound

• An Italian military base

• A joint Peshmerga–French forces base

Energy infrastructure and facilities linked to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups (Komala, PJAK, KDPI) were also reported among possible targets.

Al-Sulaymaniyah

• Headquarters of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups

• Peshmerga headquarters affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

Halabja

• Telecommunications towers near the city

Duhok

• Oil infrastructure linked to foreign companies

Read more: Caught between war and neutrality: Kurdistan navigates escalating US-Iran confrontation

The distribution of reported targets suggests that the incidents were not randomly scattered across Iraq but concentrated along several strategic corridors, including the Syria–Iraq border region, a belt of Popular Mobilization Forces deployments across northern provinces, and key coalition military installations in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region. Such patterns often reflect attempts to pressure supply routes, operational bases, and foreign military presence simultaneously.

Casualties and Damage

Factions operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) said Wednesday that their attacks had killed 13 American personnel and wounded dozens more over the past 12 days. US officials have not confirmed the claim.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday that an American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft involved in the ongoing operation against Iran crashed in Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased. Meanwhile, the IRI said it had targeted the KC-135 aircraft west of Iraq, stating that it was hit but managed to withdraw and make an emergency landing at a US military facility.

Four Confirmed Deceased in Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over IraqTAMPA, Fla. – At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue.The…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2026

The group’s affiliated Sabereen News channel on X also published mourning notices for at least 12 fighters during the same period. The announcements did not specify which factions the fighters belonged to within the Islamic Resistance network or whether they were serving in units formally incorporated into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Elsewhere, six French soldiers were reported injured in Erbil during attacks on coalition facilities. French President Emmanuel Macron later announced the death of a French soldier linked to operations in the area, though it remains unclear whether the casualty was among those previously reported wounded.

The Popular Mobilization Forces said their headquarters in several provinces had been struck by 32 airstrikes since the beginning of the month, leaving 27 members dead and 50 others wounded.

In the Kurdistan Region, Karzan Sherko, spokesperson for the Asayish security forces, said one member of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala was killed and another injured in the village of Zargwezala in Al-Sulaymaniyah province. A drone attack targeting Erbil International Airport on March 7 killed one member of the Asayish and wounded three others, according to Kurdish security officials.

Read more: Iran’s denial vs. proxy escalation: Iraq caught between diplomacy and battlefield reality

Who May Be Responsible?

Responsibility for many of the incidents remains unclear.

Iran has said it carried out operations targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

No actor has formally claimed responsibility for the strikes on PMF or resistance-linked sites elsewhere in Iraq. Some Iraqi security sources have suggested the United States or Israel may have conducted the attacks, although neither country has confirmed involvement.

Meanwhile, factions operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella say they have carried out more than 200 attacks on US military facilities in Iraq during the current escalation.

Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.