United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Shot down

An MQ-9 Reaper was shot down over Babylon Governorate in central Iraq on 26 July 2026. The loss came a day after US forces halted 13 consecutive nights of strikes on Iran, with President Trump reported to have paused further escalation over depleted regional stocks of Patriot interceptors. Iranian-aligned Iraqi militias continued attacks on US aircraft and installations through the pause, and drones were intercepted near the US consulate in Erbil in the same week.