Kurdistan
Graduation ceremony of 300 Peshmerga cadets on June 22, 2023. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Sunday announced that two explosive-laden drones targeted a Peshmerga base in Erbil province’s Pirmam the night before, holding the Iraqi federal government responsible for the “cowardly attacks” of government-linked “outlaw” groups.
The attack, carried out at around 11:45 pm, caused material damage but did not result in any casualties, according to a statement from KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani.
“We hold those [outlaw] groups and the federal government responsible for these cowardly attacks, because these outlaw groups are armed by and receive salaries from the federal government, and they roam around before the eyes of the Iraqi government, transporting weapons, rockets, and drones and carrying out terrorist attacks on official and military institutions,” read the statement.
The statement added that the KRG expects Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to punish these groups, adding that Erbil reserves the right to respond to these attacks “at the appropriate time.” It also called on its allies to support Erbil in the face of such strikes.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency condemned the attack on the Peshmerga base and called on the Iraqi federal government to take “serious measures” in pursuing the perpetrators.
“The attack on the Peshmerga, as an official force and part of the federal Iraqi defense system, is a dangerous and unacceptable development that threatens the peace and stability of Iraq,” read a statement from the Presidency.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani later in the day condemned the attack, calling on Sudani and Baghdad to take practical measures against the “outlaws.”
I'm deeply alarmed by last night's terrorist attack on a Peshmerga base northeast of Erbil. I condemn the outlaws and their collaborators in the strongest terms possible.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) December 31, 2023
We know well the issues at play here and the outlaws behind them, and have a right to defend our people.
“The federal government should see any attack on the Kurdistan Region as an attack on all of Iraq and respond with the appropriate action. Inaction will continue to embolden the outlaws,” wrote the Kurdish premier on X.
Hours after the KRG statement, Sudani directed Iraqi security services to launch a comprehensive investigation into the drone attack and cooperate with their Kurdish counterparts to pursue the perpetrators of the strike which “violates national sovereignty and attempts to tamper with internal security and stability.”
The KRG on Friday reiterated that there are no Israeli bases in the Region, countering claims made by Islamic Resistance that asserted it had targeted a “Zionist” base in Erbil.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Saturday evening that it targeted Erbil’s Harir airbase with drones.
The group has claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
A suicide drone last week targeted forces of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) based at Erbil International Airport, wounding three US service members, one critically.
US forces retaliated with airstrikes targeting multiple locations of pro-Iran militia groups in Babil. The Iraqi federal government quickly condemned the US strikes, saying they targeted Iraqi military bases, killing one and injuring 18 others.
Iran-aligned militia groups have targeted US interests in Iraq and Syria with rockets and drones over 100 times since October 17, in response to the American support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Baghdad has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to protecting diplomatic missions in Iraq and vowed to pursue the perpetrators of the attacks against American interests, but has also warned Washington against taking any military action in the country without its approval.
An American retaliatory attack against the pro-Iran groups which killed eight members of the government-linked Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in late November triggered heavy backlash from Baghdad, who condemned the attack and labeled it as a violation of its sovereignty.
In an interview with Rudaw’s Bestoon Othman earlier this month, Sudani described the attacks on US bases in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as Washington’s embassy in Baghdad, as “terrorist attacks.”
“All attacks, including recent attacks on the American embassy and the attack on Erbil airport, are terrorist attacks, and the government and its security services are pursuing the perpetrators, and God willing we will announce who committed the crimes,” he affirmed.
However, he also stated that Iraq no longer requires the services of the US-led global coalition against ISIS because the terror group has been defeated inside Iraqi borders, saying that a government delegation must be formed to engage in dialogue with the coalition on this matter.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019.
Updated at 4:10 pm
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