The mayor of Ain al-Tamr district in Karbala, Muqdad Wahab al-Tamimi, confirmed on Monday that a drone crashed near the historic Mughida minaret, with no casualties or material damage reported.
Al-Tamimi stated that the relevant security authorities have begun investigations to determine the circumstances of the incident, including the nature of the drone and its origin.
This statement follows conflicting reports regarding an unidentified object that fell in the Karbala desert, with initial information suggesting a civilian aircraft had crashed. However, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and the General Company for Air Navigation Services denied any incidents involving civilian aircraft within Iraqi airspace or territory.
Karbala Governor Nasif Jassim al-Khatabi also denied reports of a passenger plane crash in the province’s desert, suggesting that the fallen object was likely a drone. Other unverified accounts mentioned the possibility of a fuel tank from a ballistic missile falling, but no official confirmation was provided at that time.
Later, a security source informed that the incident was indeed the result of an unidentified drone crash.
The Mughida minaret, also known as the “lit minaret,” is located approximately 40 kilometers southwest of the center of Karbala, in a desert area along the road leading to Ain al-Tamr, and is considered one of the prominent historical landmarks in the province.
This incident coincides with rapidly evolving security developments in the region, including Iraq’s closure of its airspace amid Iranian strikes targeting areas in Israel, following heightened military tensions in Lebanon.
Source: العراق
