Four people have died in what is described as a "defensive" air strike in the Iraqi province of Babil, carried out by American forces, according to an anonymous American official for AFP.
The attack is the first carried out by American forces in Iraq since February.
The attack "targeted combatants who were trying to launch a one-way attack with unmanned aerial systems", the official says, adding that the drones posed a "threat to the US and coalition forces".
The former paramilitary pro-Iranian group Hashed al-Shaabi, which is now part of the Iraqi army, had previously stated that a drone strike killed four people at a base in Babil – but did not mention any attempt to launch drones.
In recent weeks, two attacks have been directed against the US and its allied forces in Iraq.
