An Iraqi militant group in Kuwait claims they damaged a US Air Force base in the region over the weekend.
The US has eight military bases in Kuwait, including Camp Arifjan, Camp Doha Army Base, Camp Virginia Army Base, Camp Buehring, Camp Patriot, Camp New York, Camp Spearhead, and the joint base at Ali Al Salem Air Base.
The group that calls itself “Al-Waretheen” or “The Inheritors” (*as translated*) posted an online statement saying they targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base. They also included a video of a drone being launched, but very little evidence pointing to the actual destruction of the US Air Base. The attack occurred around 23 miles from the Iraq-Kuwait borders.
Iraqi Shiite resistance group, calling them selves 'Al-Waretheen', take responsibility for an explosives-laden “UAV “ attack on 12/8/22 against the Kuwaiti Ali Al Salem airbase (US military presence), 37 km from the Iraq-Kuwait borderline. pic.twitter.com/Zy3RI1Yt6z
— Iran's military magazine (@iranmilitary_en) August 20, 2022
An unknown Iraqi faction 'Al-Waretheen' claims, that they ve attacked the American Air Force base in #Kuwait using suicide drones;#Iran #Iraq #IRGC pic.twitter.com/xqwkPURz76
— Venkatesh Ragupathi (@venkatesh_Ragu) August 20, 2022
Their statement also noted that their attack was their way of avenging their brothers who were killed by a US drone strike during the Iranian Revolution Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad (Jan. 2020).
Around 13,5000 American troops are stationed in Kuwait, and the location is also used as the forward headquarters 0f CENTCOM. These are the forces that supported the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and fought against the Islamic State Group in the latter years.
The airmen at Ali Al Salem Air Base continue their effort to protect and defend the installation from UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) threats.
US Air Force Col. John Gustafson, commander of the 386th Expeditionary Mission Support Group, cuts a ribbon to commemorate the finished construction and opening of a new building for the Force Protection Flight at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Feb 14, 2022. This is the first permanent structure on base that coupled US building standards with local standards, using a lot of local material, which decreased cost and construction time. (US Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Patrick Evenson)
“We take care of the airspace for our area,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Butts, 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of counter-small unmanned aerial systems. “So we’re here to detect, track, identify and then, if need be, defeat.”
This is the air base where they conduct and develop seminars to provide leadership and guidance on effectively battling drone threats. Additionally, this air base is focused on creating strong coalition forces against Iraq and Syria that have been ramping up the development of these programs. Ultimately, they are specialized combat against UAS attacks.
“We call it the ‘kill chain’….detect, track, identify and defeat,” explained Butts. “The main thing is detecting so we’re able to see it and track it. Once we’re able to track it, we’re going to identify it, which is key to helping us understand if it’s hostile or not and to what extent. Then we can defeat it.”
Not an Ounce of Truth
However, The US Air Base is calling their claims completely false and that nothing actually happened this weekend.
“The misinformation falsely stated an Iranian militia group used (drones) to carry out an attack on base,” the Air Force statement to The Associated Press said. “No such attack occurred.”
The US Air Force also implies that the group could be Iranian even though they’re masking themselves as Iraqi. The Air Force added that these propagandists “only aims [SIC] to deceive their audience in believing a lie” as they “continue to project air power throughout the region without disruption.”
Additionally, The Nation of Kuwait did not officially acknowledge the attack. The Information Ministry did not hold a conference to confirm or deny these claims. Still, Kuwait’s Al-Qabas newspaper, one of the nation’s known “responsible” sources, said the claims were “completely untrue.”
Additionally, according to reports, the Planet Labs PBC analyzed satellite photos to see if aerial events happened during the said period, but no suspicious movements were found.
So, this could be a way for them to show off and get the attention of possible supporters.