United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Shot down

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper crashed in northern Iraq on 18 January 2024 while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. US officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the aircraft was likely brought down by an Iranian-provided surface-to-air missile fired by an Iran-affiliated Iraqi group. The wreckage came down near Balad Air Base and was recovered by Iraqi security forces. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed the shootdown over Diyala province and published photographs of debris. According to the same report, it was the second Reaper lost in the region in three months, after the aircraft shot down off Yemen by the Houthis in November 2023.