In the first reported strike of its kind, U.S. Central Command (CENTOM) targeted an Islamic State (ISIS) drone facility in the ongoing offensive against the terrorist organization. The attack on the “unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] facility” near Mosul, Iraq was listed among other routine targets in a daily release of coalition strikes as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Although ISIS has been using drones (UAVs, also called “remotely piloted aircraft,” or RPAs) at least since 2015, the scale of ISIS’s drone operations has been unclear. CENTCOM says that “a number” of what were believed to be UAV facilities in Mosul alone have been targeted, but did not provide an exact figure. The facility targeted this week was used to “launch, recover, and restore” ISIS drones according to a CENTCOM official.