“I strongly condemn these drone and rocket attacks against the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. There can be no justification for these attacks whatsoever,” Hickey told Rudaw’s Snwr Alany in an interview on Sunday.
“There needs to be a full investigation by the Iraqi authorities and we have to see accountability and justice for these attacks and greater security measures in place to make sure there are no further attacks,” he elaborated.
After midnight on Saturday, four explosive-laden drones hit locations northeast of Erbil, near the new US consulate. The attack caused material damage, but there were no casualties. Three of the drones hit the house of a citizen and another landed in an unpopulated area on Mount Tarin.
Apart from measures being taken by the government to “ensure justice and accountability to improve protection for the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq],” Hickey also emphasized neighboring countries and particularly Iran need to “use the influence that they have over these militia groups to stop these attacks.”
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, drones are a new weapon of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias who have been blamed for rocket attacks on American interests across the country.
Erbil International Airport was hit by an explosive-laden drone mid-April with the intention of targeting international forces of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“We’ve heard from the Iranian government that they want to see a strong and stable Iraq, now if that’s the case, I sincerely hope we will not see further support to these groups outside the control of the state. And instead, I hope that will be replaced by support for the Iraqi state and the instructions of the state, and also for the KRG,” Hickey stressed during the Interview.
.png&w=3840&q=75)
