Mortars fall near Erbil villages, no casualties: official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Several mortars landed near villages in Erbil’s Qoshtapa subdistrict on Tuesday afternoon, a local official has told Rudaw. 

It is not clear who fired the mortars, which caused no casualties or damage. 

Star Agha Omer, mayor of Qoshtapa, told Rudaw that the mortars fell near the villages of Dolabakra, Dolaza, Tarawa, Aliawa, Girashina and Bashtapa at 4pm. Not all exploded. 

“We were informed by Asayish [local security forces] that some mortars had landed near Qoshtapa. Asayish teams are investigating it now,” said the official, who added that Katyusha rockets may also have fallen in the area.

Qoshtapa lies around 20 kilometers south of Erbil city. 

Some of the villages are located on main road connecting Erbil and Kirkuk and are close to factories.

The mayor said this is the third time they have been exposed to such attacks.

“There was a huge sound that shook our factory. We left and saw a lot of dust. We thought that it was a boiler explosion at the nearby gas factory,” an eyewitness told Rudaw.