Brits in Special Forces base attacked by Iranian drone swarm with troops hurt – as UK confirms Putin is helping Tehran

A SPECIAL Forces base in Iraq was hit by a barrage of drones last night as top UK generals confirmed that Russia was “definitely” helping Iran.

American troops suffered casualties but no British forces were hurt.  Details emerged as John Healey said he was planning for mass evacuations of the Middle East inferno.

The Defence Secretary also hinted at sending warships to defend the Strait of Hormuz.  And he revealed that military investigators were looking for “Russian components” in the wreckage of a Shahed drone that hit RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus last week.

Brigadier Guy Foden, a commander at Britain’s Permanent Joint Headquarters, revealed UK troops in northern Iraq shot down two Iranian drones overnight but several more got through.

The drones hit an American Special Forces facility where UK troops are also based in the Kurdistan regional capital Erbil. Drones also hit Baghdad.  Brig Foden said: “We have personnel in Erbil who are currently helping with the defence of that base.

“Last night they shot down two UAVs coming at the camp, but a number of UAVs did impact on the camp.”  The troops are deployed to Iraq on a counter-terror mission and the base is protected by the RAF Regiment with Rapid Sentry launchers and Martlet LMM missiles.

The missiles’ range is 8km.  It was unclear if US forces were hurt in the Erbil strike or elsewhere.  Lt Gen Nick Perry, the commander UK global operations, said the US casualties were not life threatening.

In a highly staged “briefing” to Healey in front of war maps and TV cameras, he said: “All our people remain safe, touch wood, but the Americans took some casualties last night, but nothing too serious.”  Lt Gen Perry also told Healey there was a “definitive link” between Russia and Iranian drone strikes.

The former SAS boss said Tehran was using Kremlin tactics to make their drone strikes “more effective” and much harder to intercept.  He said: “We have seen, definitely, the Iranian tactics of the use of their drones has learnt from the Russians.

“They are flying them much lower and therefore they are more effective.”  He added: “It is the drones that are causing the biggest problem for our allies across the region.”

Healey said it was no surprise that “Putin’s hidden hand” was behind Iranian strikes.  He said: “The only world leader benefitting from sky high oil prices at the moment is Putin.  “It helps him with a fresh supply of funds for his brutal war in Ukraine.”

He said a drone hit RAF Akrotiri, a vital British airbase on Cyprus, was “fired from Lebanon or potentially Iraq”.  The drone hit a part of the base used by a top CIA spy programme codenamed Olive Harvest.

The Sun revealed it hit a hangar used by U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes.  Healey said: “We are taking apart and analysing the drone that hit the hangar for any evidence of Russian or other foreign components or parts.

“We will publish any findings from that when we have got them.”  He was speaking as HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy destroyer, was sailing towards the eastern Mediterranean to protect British troops from Iranian drones.

Asked if he would dispatch more ships to patrol or demine the Strait of Hormuz, he said: “I’m discussing additional options with our planners.”  The Royal Navy used to keep three mine-hunters and a frigate permanently based in Bahrain.

But the frigate is being dismantled and the mine-hunters sailed back to Britain.  When Israel and America attacked Iran on March 1 there were no Navy warships east of Gibraltar.

The only working Astute class submarine was on a trade mission to Australia.  HMS Anson cut short its visit to Western Australia earlier this week.
It is thought it could lurk in the Gulf of Oman to help defend merchant shipping.  Healey insisted the Navy had autonomous mine-hunters in the Gulf region.

But he said defining during an active conflict was almost impossible and the quickest route to restoring normal shipping traffic was “deescalation of the conflict”.
Separately Brig Foden said UK fighter jets flew combat patrols last night Jordan, Qatar and UAE.

He said troops were deployed in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.  Personnel from all three Armed Forces – Army, Royal Navy and RAF – are involved in the defence of Cyprus, codenamed Operation Luminous.