The US Central Command announced on Wednesday evening the downing of an Iranian drone that was heading to Erbil and "poses a threat" to American soldiers in the region.
The Director of Public Affairs of the US Central Command, Colonel Joe Buccino, said - in a statement - "The US forces shot down an Iranian Muhajir-6 unmanned aircraft, which was heading to Erbil at 2:10 pm (Iraqi time)," stressing that the march "looked like it was constitute a threat to US forces in the region."
Buccino condemned the "unjustified" attack launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Erbil province, explaining that these "indiscriminate attacks" threaten innocent civilians and threaten the stability of the region, which was achieved with difficulty, as he put it.
The US Central Command added that "no American soldiers were injured or killed in the strikes, and no American equipment was damaged."
For its part, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported - quoting the Counter-Terrorism Service in Iraqi Kurdistan - that 13 people were killed, in addition to 58 wounded in the attacks that took place Wednesday near Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The US State Department spokesman, Ned Price, confirmed that the Iranian missile and drone attacks "did not result in any injury to any US officials."
"Following those attacks, we reviewed the individuals (...) and confirmed that there were no casualties among US officials in the area," Price said.
"We stand with the Iraqi people and government in the face of these brazen attacks on their sovereignty," he added.
The bombing came after Iranian authorities accused armed Iranian Kurdish opponents of being involved in the ongoing unrest in the country, particularly in the northwest, where most of Iran's 10 million Kurds live.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said on Wednesday that it had bombed with missiles and drones military targets in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, pledging to continue targeting what it describes as "terrorists."