Multiple drones hit northeast of Erbil, no casualties: sources

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Four explosive-laden drones hit locations northeast of Erbil early Saturday morning. The attack caused material damage, but there were no casualties.

“Three drones hit the house of a citizen near the village of Bragh in Erbil province and another drone landed in an unpopulated area on Mount Tarin,” Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism unit said in a statement Saturday afternoon.  

Two of the drones that hit the house in Bragh exploded and the other did not, the statement added. 

Security sources and eyewitnesses earlier told Rudaw that three drones had hit two houses in Bragh village, a few kilometres away from where the new US consulate is under construction. One of them did not explode. Another two other drones hit the village of Gomaspan, a senior government source had told Rudaw.

The counter-terrorism unit shared photos of the drones with Arabic phrases written on them: “Peace be upon you, Oh beauty of Iraq,” and “In the name of God, Qasim al-Jabbarin,” and “Owner of time,” and “Oh Zahra.” 

The attacks took place between 1 and 2 am.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility.

The US consulate in Erbil tweeted condemnation of the attack: "The United States condemns Saturday's drone attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. This attack represents a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty."

Erbil International Airport was attacked by an explosive-laden drone on April 14 that targeted international forces of the global coalition against Islamic State (ISIS).

Related: Drone wars in Iraq  

Drones are a new weapon of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias who are blamed for rocket attacks on American interests across the country. 
 
In February, two people were killed and 13 injured in a rocket attack on Erbil’s airport. A little-known militant group by the name of Saraya Awlia al-Dam (Guardians of Blood Brigades) claimed responsibility.  


Additional reporting by Farhad Dolamari 
Updated at 3:32 pm