ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Tuesday strongly condemned an explosion that struck the Darkar camp housing internally displaced Yazidis in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province, calling for a full investigation into what it described as an “attack.”
In a statement on X, UNAMI said it “strongly condemns the explosion that targeted a camp for Internally Displaced Persons [IDPs] in Duhok,” emphasizing the need for the “protection and refraining from targeting of displacement camps - including the Darkar camp for Yazidi IDPs.”
The mission called on “the relevant authorities in Iraq to investigate the incident” and “to hold accountable those responsible for the attack, which is in clear violation of international law and human rights.” UNAMI also stressed the urgency of adopting “necessary and urgent measures to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.”
Earlier in the day, an explosive-laden drone crashed into the Darkar camp, located about 36 kilometers northwest of Duhok city, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), also known as Kurdistan CT. The drone strike caused material damage but resulted in no casualties.
The camp shelters Yazidis displaced from the Shingal (Sinjar) district in Nineveh, following the Islamic State’s (ISIS) brutal assault in 2014.
“It is the first time our camp and subdistrict have experienced such an incident,” said Jawhar Mohammed, head of the Darkar subdistrict, told Rudaw on Tuesday, adding that the source of the drone remains unknown.
“A large number of refugees are still here. The drone fell near the camp’s school. There were no human casualties, but a fire broke out and was contained,” he added.
Civil defense teams from Duhok province’s Zakho city reported that three cabins at the camp caught fire as a result of the drone crash.
Importantly, the incident in Duhok occurred on the same day as a separate security violation in Kirkuk.
Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha said that three Katyusha rockets struck the city overnight. One rocket hit a residential house - causing no injuries - while two others landed between the civilian and military sections of Kirkuk International Airport.
According to airport administration officials, the rockets struck at around 11:30 pm local time, injuring one airport employee.
