Unidentified Drone Shot Down Over Iraq's Kirkuk

American army soldiers at the K1 Air Base northwest of Kirkuk in northern Iraq before a planned US pullout on March 29, 2020. (AFP)
American army soldiers at the K1 Air Base northwest of Kirkuk in northern Iraq before a planned US pullout on March 29, 2020. (AFP)
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Unidentified Drone Shot Down Over Iraq's Kirkuk

American army soldiers at the K1 Air Base northwest of Kirkuk in northern Iraq before a planned US pullout on March 29, 2020. (AFP)
American army soldiers at the K1 Air Base northwest of Kirkuk in northern Iraq before a planned US pullout on March 29, 2020. (AFP)

Iraq's air defenses shot down an unmanned drone on Thursday in the northern city of Kirkuk, two police sources told Reuters, triggering an investigation into the identity of the drone.
One Iraqi military colonel said on condition of anonymity that an initial investigation of the debris showed it was a Turkish military armed drone.
The drone fell in the center of Kirkuk, igniting a fire near some houses, but caused no casualties, police sources said, adding the blaze had been brought under control by firefighters.
There was no immediate response from Turkish authorities to a request for comment.



Kremlin Says It Wants Syria to Swiftly Restore Order after Opposition Attack

Fighters take over the district of Khan al-Assal following fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and opposition forces along with their Turkish-backed allies in the northern Syrian Aleppo province, on November 29, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)
Fighters take over the district of Khan al-Assal following fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and opposition forces along with their Turkish-backed allies in the northern Syrian Aleppo province, on November 29, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)
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Kremlin Says It Wants Syria to Swiftly Restore Order after Opposition Attack

Fighters take over the district of Khan al-Assal following fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and opposition forces along with their Turkish-backed allies in the northern Syrian Aleppo province, on November 29, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)
Fighters take over the district of Khan al-Assal following fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and opposition forces along with their Turkish-backed allies in the northern Syrian Aleppo province, on November 29, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)

The Kremlin said on Friday it wanted the Syrian government to restore constitutional order in the Aleppo region as soon as possible after an insurgent offensive there that captured territory for the first time in years.
Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, intervened militarily on Assad's side against insurgents in 2015 in its biggest foray in the Middle East since the Soviet Union's collapse, and maintains an airbase and naval facility in Syria.
Opposition led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group launched an incursion on Wednesday into a dozen towns and villages in the northwestern province of Aleppo, which is controlled by Assad's forces.
It was the first such territorial advance since March 2020 when Russia and Türkiye, which supports the opposition, agreed to a ceasefire that led to the halting of military action in Syria's last major opposition stronghold in the northwest.
Russian and Syrian warplanes bombed an opposition-held area near the border with Türkiye on Thursday to try to push back the insurgents, Syrian army and opposition sources said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regarded the attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty and wanted the authorities to act fast to regain control.
"As for the situation around Aleppo, it is an attack on Syrian sovereignty and we are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," said Peskov.
Asked about unconfirmed Russian Telegram reports that Assad had flown into Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said he had "nothing to say" on the matter.