ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least four Iranian drones crashed in three locations across Erbil province early Wednesday, including near civilian homes, after Iran launched a series of strikes targeting positions of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the Alana Valley.
At around 6:00 am local time, one of the drones struck a civilian home in Soran, two drones crashed near a village in Khalifan, and another drone crashed in Harir, causing a fire to break out in the grasslands and hills of Bani Harir, according to Andam Jabar, Rudaw’s reporter in the area.
“Thank God there were no casualties, although the material damage is extensive,” one resident told Rudaw, after his home was hit. “I was on the mountain when I heard a loud noise. I thought to myself, this must be a TNT explosion; I didn't know a drone had fallen,” he said.
“My family was terrified, how could they not be?” He asked. “Anyone [would] have to be scared. What can we do?”
There were no casualties in any of the three locations, Jabar reported. Civil defense teams and other security forces arrived at the crash sites to assess the damage and respond to the fires, according to the reporter.
The recent Iranian drone and missile strikes on the Kurdistan Region coincide with the renewed diplomatic talks between the US and Iran, following weeks of renewed tensions over the strategic waterway of the Strait of Hormuz.
Footage obtained by Rudaw shows missile fragments and debris scattered in several front yards. The fragments remain unidentified.
The drone incidents followed several Iranian missile and drone strikes on the Alana Valley, about 90 kilometers northeast of Erbil, where Iran targeted positions of the Kurdish opposition groups Komala Toilers Party of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).
A senior Komala commander told Rudaw English that the latest attack on the opposition groups’ positions caused no casualties.
The latest strikes came a day after Iranian missiles hit the same area, injuring at least two Komala Peshmerga fighters.
On Tuesday, Iran launched three missiles at Komala’s headquarters in the Alana Valley, according to Amjad Hussein Panahi, head of the group’s communications.
“Although the attack was carried out intensely, our forces were able to protect themselves safely because of their preparedness and implementation of security measures,” Panahi said.
He later told Rudaw that two people were injured, but their injuries were “very slight.”
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