Middle East
Smoke and explosions witnessed near US base in Iraq
Associated Press
February 28, 2026
Irbil International Airport, in the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, is seen following a missile attack in January 2020. Smoke was reporting rising from a U.S. base near the airport on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, amid reports a missile was shot down there. (Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes)
Smoke rose from a U.S. base near the airport in Irbil, the regional capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdish region Saturday and an Associated Press journalist in the area heard explosions. Local media reported that missiles were shot down. There was no immediate statement from Iraqi officials or from the U.S.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias had previously threatened to strike targets in the Kurdish region in case of an attack on Iran. Earlier Saturday, a drone strike targeted a headquarters of the Iran-allied Kataib Hezbollah militia southwest of Baghdad, killing two.