Shiite militia claim attack on Iraqi base housing U.S. forces

BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi Shiite militia claimed on Sunday responsibility for launching an attack earlier in the day on an airbase housing U.S. military experts and agencies in Iraq's western province of Anbar.

An armed group calling itself "The Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed in an online statement that its fighters launched two booby-trapped drones on the Ayn al-Asad Airbase near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of the capital Baghdad.

According to the statement, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified, the two drones hit their targets.

Earlier on Sunday, an officer from the Iraqi army who requires anonymity told Xinhua that the attack only caused minor material damage.

The officer added that Iraqi security forces in the area surrounded the airbase and launched a search operation.

In recent days, the militant group claimed to have launched rocket and drone attacks on military bases housing U.S. forces across the country. The group also claimed responsibility for similar attacks on U.S. military forces in Syria.