British forces based in Iraq shot down two Iranian drones overnight, Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed.

However, some drones hit the coalition base in the Iraqi city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, and injured a number of US troops.

Brigadier Guy Foden said the base and another in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad were struck "a number of times" on Wednesday night and British personnel are currently in Erbil helping to defend that base.

Since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, US bases in Iraq have been targeted in retaliation.

The Western base in Erbil is controlled by the US but often houses other coalition forces including British troops.

Foden said British forces "shot down two UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) coming out of the camp but a number of UAVs did impact the camp".

There were no British casualties in the attack.

Healey later told the BBC that from the point when Iran began "hitting back indiscriminately" at countries across the Middle East, there had been a British team involved in Iraq.

"We've had a team at the base in Erbil that's been pulling down drones, protecting themselves but also protecting the base and other service people that they serve with there," he said.

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