US forces attacked and shot down an Iranian drone last month just inside the Iraqi border. The drone was in Iraqi air space for over an hour before the attack, but was still less than 8 miles into Iraqi territory.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros declared that “this was not an accident on the part of the Iranians,” but the declaration appeared to conflict significantly with the Iraqi government, as a defense ministry spokesman insisted “it crossed 10 km into Iraq. It’s most likely that its entrance was a mistake.”

The drone was reportedly an Ababil-3 UAV, a 10 kg vehicle that is about 9 feet long. Ababil UAVs can be equipped for either attack or surveillance – officials did not say which configuration the drone was operating in when it was attacked.

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