Iraqi Shiite militia claims attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Syria

BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi Shiite militia on Tuesday claimed responsibility for launching attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria.

The militia, named Islamic Resistance in Iraq, claimed in an online statement that its fighters launched a bomb-laden drone Tuesday on a base housing U.S.-led coalition forces near the Erbil Airport in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

A statement by the regional Counter-Terrorism Service confirmed the attack and said that a booby-trapped drone was shot down in the morning while trying to attack a base near the Erbil Airport.

Also on Tuesday, the armed group claimed responsibility for launching drone and rocket attacks on four U.S. military bases in neighboring Syria during the day.

In separate statements, the group said that its fighters carried out three drone attacks on the U.S. bases in al-Malikiyah and Rumailan in the al-Hasakah province, as well as the U.S. Green Village military base at the al-Omar oilfield in Deir al-Zour province, while the fourth attack was a rocket barrage on the al-Shaddadi U.S. base in the al-Hasakah province.

The attacks by the Iraqi armed group are part of a series of retaliatory measures against the U.S. forces amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to the statements.

The recent attacks brought the number of recorded attacks on U.S. bases in Syria to 71 since Oct. 19, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.