“No guarantees for our safety”: Drone attacks near Baghdad Airport alarm residents

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Repeated drone attacks targeting Baghdad International Airport have spread fear among residents living in surrounding neighborhoods, with locals describing the situation as “terrifying,” as the sound of drones and their interception at night has become constant.

Since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, factions operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella say they have carried out more than 200 attacks on US military facilities across Iraq. Several of the drones launched during the escalation have targeted the Diplomatic Support Center inside the Baghdad airport complex, while others have flown over nearby residential districts before reaching the airport.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that some incidents have already affected residential areas. The source revealed to Shafaq News that a drone fell near houses in the al-Turath neighborhood in western Baghdad, injuring a woman, while a projectile landed in the al-Jihad neighborhood.

Security expert Jalil Khalaf linked the attacks to what he described as armed factions operating outside the authority of the federal government. In remarks to Shafaq News, he explained that Iraqi security institutions have struggled to contain these groups, which he said have chosen to strike US-linked targets in Iraq —such as the embassy or military sites— “even if they are empty.”

The danger for civilians persists even when drones are intercepted in the air, according to security expert Saif Raad. “When drones are targeted in the sky by air-defense systems belonging to either Iran or the United States, large parts of them remain intact,” Raad said, warning that the debris may include fuel, explosive materials, or secondary fragments capable of causing casualties and damaging homes or infrastructure.

Raad added that commonly used attack drones can carry explosive payloads of around 50 kilograms or more, meaning a crash or detonation in a populated area could cause severe damage, with shrapnel potentially spreading up to 200 meters.

For residents living near the airport, the threat has already altered daily routines. Haneen Khaled, who lives in a neighborhood close to Baghdad International Airport, explained to our agency that her family recently moved their sleeping arrangements to the ground floor of their home out of fear that debris from a drone could strike the upper floor. She added that her husband is considering covering the roof with sandbags as a precaution to reduce the impact if an explosive drone were to hit the building.

In the al-Budur residential complex adjacent to the airport, families say anxiety has become constant. “The attacks happen day and night,” Jamila Kamel said, adding that explosions leave residents and their children frightened because of their proximity to the airport.

Some residents in the complex have temporarily moved to relatives’ homes in other areas, fearing that a drone could fall on their houses.

“There are no guarantees for the safety of families here,” warned Abdul-Basit al-Dulaimi, a resident of the al-Furat neighborhood near the airport, noting that drones and air-defense interceptions occur above areas filled with women and children who are not part of the conflict.

Read more: Drone incidents reported across 14 Iraqi provinces in latest escalation