Peshmerga ministry condemns attack on Pirmam base

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga ministry on Monday condemned the recent attack on one of the force’s bases in Erbil province’s Pirmam, stressing that it maintains the right to respond appropriately.

Two explosive-laden drones targeted a Peshmerga base in Pirmam on Saturday evening, without resulting in any casualties. The attack was strongly condemned by the KRG, who held the Iraqi federal government responsible for the “cowardly attacks” of government-linked “outlaw” groups.

“We at the Peshmerga ministry invite the Iraqi government and all our allies in the international coalition to help and support us to stop the irresponsible attacks which cause further chaos for the [Kurdistan] Region, Iraq, and the region in general,” said the ministry in a statement on Monday.

The statement called for pursuing and punishing the perpetrators of the “terrorist” attack as soon as possible, emphasizing that the Peshmerga forces “as always” have the right to appropriate response to protect the people and territory of the Kurdistan Region.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday directed Iraqi security services to launch a comprehensive investigation into the drone attack and cooperate with their Kurdish counterparts to pursue the perpetrators of the strike which “violates national sovereignty and attempts to tamper with internal security and stability.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Saturday evening that it targeted Erbil’s Harir airbase with drones.

The group has claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.

The Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), also known as Kurdistan CT, on Sunday reported that a suicide drone targeting a base housing the forces of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) at Erbil airport was shot down, with no reports of casualties.