Kurdistan
View of a house damaged in the missile attack on Erbil on March 13, 2022. Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US State Department told Rudaw on Sunday that a civilian residence was targeted by Iranian missiles earlier in the day, adding that there was no indication that the US consulate was the primary target.
In a statement sent to Rudaw via email on Sunday, the state department reiterated that it did not consider that the US was the intended target of the missile attack from Iran, saying that “press speculation otherwise is simply wrong.”
Under the pretext of hitting an Israeli base, Iran fired a dozen ballistic missiles targeting areas surrounding the US consulate building in Erbil early Sunday morning, injuring two civilians and causing severe material damage to houses.
“The US was not the intended target,” the US State Department told Rudaw, adding “most if not all of the missiles were directed at a private Iraqi Kurdish citizen’s residential compound.”
At least four missiles landed on the residence of CEO and founder of the Iraqi-Kurdish oil company KAR Group Baz Karim Barzinji.
Karim manages many of the most important oil assets controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and is an influential actor in Iraq’s energy sector.
Hours after the missiles landed on the northeastern part of the city, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the Erbil attack which it said was launched in retaliation for the killing of two high-ranking IRGC officers by Israeli airstrikes in Syria last week.
The spokesperson wanted to clarify that this does not mean that the attack is not a matter of concern for the US, referring to the incident as “an outrageous attack by Iran on its neighbor.”
The Department of State reaffirmed that the US supports and is ready to work with their “Iraqi and Kurdish partners in the face of this terrible assault” in order to “hold Iran accountable.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement on Sunday condemning the Iranian missile attack on Erbil, stressing his support to the Kurdistan Region leadership and the Iraqi government in holding the perpetrators accountable.
“This attack targeted a civilian residence in Erbil…without any justification,” the statement read.
Sullivan also told CBS’s “Face the Nation” program on Sunday that no US facilities were impacted in the attack, but that the US is working to provide Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with “missile defense capabilities to be able to defend themselves in their cities.”
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported an anonymous IRGC source saying “the main target of the IRGC missiles was the Zionist headquarters, which is far from the American military bases.
Israel and the Kurdistan Region enjoy friendly ties but do not have diplomatic missions in each other's countries.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate phone calls with both Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and Kurdistan Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani on Sunday to discuss the recent missile attack on the Kurdish capital of Erbil. Blinken restated the US’ solidarity with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, agreeing with the leaders that the attack was an immense violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
Spoke with Iraqi Kurdistan Region PM @masrour_barzani yesterday to show support for the Kurdistan Region and condemn the recent Iranian attack that violated Iraq’s sovereignty. We discussed Kurdish unity and the need to form a government that protects Iraqis and their territory.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 14, 2022
Al-Kadhimi expressed his gratitude for the stance that the US has displayed towards the situation, reassuring Blinken that the government will not allow Iraq to become a proxy battlefield.
Barzani urged for more US support for the Kurdistan Region, while stressing the need for countering the “false narratives” that have been used to justify the attacks on Erbil in recent years.
By Chenar Chalak
Updated at 3:33 pm
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