No casualties reported among Italian personnel, who took shelter in bunkers during the attack.
An Italian military base in Erbil, in northern Iraq, was struck by a drone on the night of March 11, in what Italian officials have described as an unacceptable attack. All Italian military and civilian personnel stationed at the base are reported to be safe.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed the incident, stating that no injuries were reported among Italian personnel. According to informed sources cited by Sky TG24, the drone involved was a Shahed-type unmanned aircraft and may not have been directly targeting the interior of the base. The device appears to have lost altitude and struck a military vehicle on the perimeter. Explosive ordnance disposal units were immediately deployed to secure the area.
Camp Singara
The base that was struck, known as Camp Singara, is located near Erbil at the intersection of the Syrian, Turkish, and Iranian borders. It was established as part of the international coalition against ISIS and, over the years, has trained thousands of Kurdish soldiers at the request of the autonomous regional government.
The base commander, Colonel Stefano Pizzotti, described the sequence of events in an interview with Sky TG24. His unit had already been placed on pre-alert status. At around 20:30 local time, an air threat alarm was triggered and personnel moved to their assigned bunkers. Shortly before 1:00 a.m., the base was struck, causing material damage to infrastructure.
At the time of his statement, the origin of the threat had not yet been confirmed, and explosive disposal teams were still working to secure the area.
“The morale of the personnel is high,” Pizzotti said. “We wanted to reassure families. We are trained and prepared for these situations.”
He also noted that the Italian contingent had recently been reduced in size shortly before the onset of the current crisis, meaning fewer personnel than usual were present at the base when the drone struck.
Rome’s Response
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani responded quickly, condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with the Italian troops. He confirmed that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had been immediately informed.
Speaking later on Rete 4, Tajani stopped short of attributing responsibility, saying that the attack was unacceptable but that a clear assessment would be needed before identifying those responsible or determining next steps. When asked whether the strike could be considered an act of war against Italy, he declined to characterise it as such pending further investigation.
A Wider Context
The attack comes amid heightened tensions across the Middle East, with the conflict involving Iran creating growing risks for international forces operating throughout the region.
Italy currently has military personnel deployed in Iraq, Lebanon, and several other theatres as part of multinational stabilisation and training missions. The Erbil base, which has played a key role in training Kurdish forces, had until now remained largely insulated from the region’s periodic flare-ups.
Thursday’s incident suggests that such protection can no longer be taken for granted.
Ph: Ministero della Difesa
