ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Monday ordered a probe into the attack that targeted Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s office and the residence of Erbil’s security director, his office said in a statement, noting that findings would be publicized “at the earliest opportunity” to reveal the perpetrators. Erbil has said the assault was launched from Iran.
Zaidi, in his capacity as premier and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, “has ordered the formation of an investigative committee to determine the sources and origins of the attack that targeted the private office of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the residence of the Region's intelligence agency director in the city of Erbil,” the statement said.
The Iraqi prime minister further directed that “the committee's findings be made public at the earliest opportunity, with full disclosure of all circumstances surrounding the attack and the parties responsible.”
Earlier in the day the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), said that “two explosive drones of the Hadid-110 type were launched from the Iranian side of the border” toward the Kurdish Premier’s “private office” and “the residence of the director of the Security Council in Erbil province’s Pirmam district.” The attack caused no casualties, the Directorate noted.
The CTD condemned the strikes as “completely unacceptable,” warning that “those responsible for carrying them out bear full responsibility for the consequences.”
In a statement on X, Prime Minister Barzani slammed the “reckless and unacceptable attacks in the strongest terms,” calling them “a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region.”
He added that the targeting “will not deter us from carrying out our duties and protecting our citizens.”
Later on Monday, the Iraqi parliament also described the attack as "a dangerous and unacceptable escalation that undermines Iraq's sovereignty, the security of its citizens, and the stability of its institutions."
It urged "the federal government and competent authorities to investigate the circumstances of the attack and take the necessary measures to protect national sovereignty and prevent the recurrence of such attacks,” reaffirming “the necessity of keeping Iraq out of regional conflicts and tensions.”
In its near midnight meeting, the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework similarly condemned "the terrorist attack" targeting the office of the Kurdistan Region premier.
Meanwhile, prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada al-Sadr described as “distressing” the Kurdistan Region being “struck by drones coming from our brothers in Iran.”
“Our brothers in [Iran’s Islamic] Revolutionary Guard [Corps] must not strike Iraqi territory, for this fulfills the exact desires of our enemies,” Sadr said.
Similarly, Sunni Arab politician Khamis al-Khanjar, condemned the strike as a "highly dangerous development" and an "assault on Iraq's sovereignty." The leader of the Sovereignty Alliance urged the federal government to prioritize protecting the Region, labeling such strikes "instruments for political extortion."
