Iraq
The investigation and fact-finding parliamentary committee into Erbil's missile attack visiting the site of the incident, and being received by Baz Karim Barzinji, on March 15, 2022. Photo: Iraqi state media (INA)
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - No evidence or tools have been found on the site of the missile attack in Erbil last month that would indicate spying activities, a report by the committee investigating the incident said on Monday, adding that the Iraqi civilian harmed in the incident has the right to request compensation from Iran.
A report by the Iraqi parliament’s fact-finding committee formed to investigate March’s Iranian missile attack in Erbil, a copy of which has been obtained by Rudaw, found no evidence to support the accusations made by Iran that the site was an Israeli base, nor the involvement of Baz Karim Barzinji in any form of political activity or movement; the CEO and founder of the Iraqi-Kurdish oil company who owned one of the properties that was heavily damaged in the strike.
Iran attacked Erbil with twelve ballistic missiles in the early hours of March 13, with at least four missiles landing on Karim’s residence. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for targeting "the strategic center of the Zionist conspiracy and evil by point-to-point missile." Kurdish authorities vehemently rejected this accusation.
Shortly after the attack, a parliamentary committee was formed, consisting of First Deputy Hakim al-Zamili, Second Deputy Shakhawan Abdullah, and four other MPs, “to investigate the attack and its damages,” with the results being reported to the parliamentary presidency and voted on by its members.
“After inspecting, investigating, and visiting the site of the attack and neighboring buildings by the fact-finding committee, the committee did not find any evidence or suspicious tools on the site that indicates the presence of devices, wires, or spying tools used for spying purposes,” the report states.
The attack is a clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, it continues, stating that this includes the Kurdistan Region, and that any attempts to turn Iraq into a field for settling scores between other countries should be prohibited.
“The Iraqi civilian who was harmed as a result of the external missile attack has the right to take legal measures to request financial and moral compensation from the Iranian side,” the report adds, referring to Karim.
Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry, stated that during his recent visit to Iran, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein requested that the country provide proof and evidence justifying the missile attack in Erbil, to which the Iranian side provided an insufficient response.
“The Iranian side presented a number of justifications, while no clear positions and evidence were presented to justify the recent strike that affected the diagnosed site in Erbil province,” Sahaf told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Monday, adding that they wanted “clear evidence to rely on, for the Iraqi government to deal with it seriously.”
Hussein traveled to Tehran on April 14, accompanied by Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasem al-Araji, in order to discuss bilateral relations, regional issues, and Baghdad’s role in facilitating dialogue between Tehran and Riyadh.
Sahaf added that Iran’s “deep” and historic relations with Iraq does not allow the country to initiate violent operations that violate the sovereignty of Iraq, noting that the sovereignty of all sides must be respected in order to protect the security of the region.
“If we want to establish the security of the region in an integrated and participatory manner, we must coordinate and respect the sovereignty of the national state for each of the parties at the level of the region, and provide evidence and clear impulses that each party can rely on,” the official said.
A report by the Iraqi parliament’s fact-finding committee formed to investigate March’s Iranian missile attack in Erbil, a copy of which has been obtained by Rudaw, found no evidence to support the accusations made by Iran that the site was an Israeli base, nor the involvement of Baz Karim Barzinji in any form of political activity or movement; the CEO and founder of the Iraqi-Kurdish oil company who owned one of the properties that was heavily damaged in the strike.
Iran attacked Erbil with twelve ballistic missiles in the early hours of March 13, with at least four missiles landing on Karim’s residence. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for targeting "the strategic center of the Zionist conspiracy and evil by point-to-point missile." Kurdish authorities vehemently rejected this accusation.
Shortly after the attack, a parliamentary committee was formed, consisting of First Deputy Hakim al-Zamili, Second Deputy Shakhawan Abdullah, and four other MPs, “to investigate the attack and its damages,” with the results being reported to the parliamentary presidency and voted on by its members.
“After inspecting, investigating, and visiting the site of the attack and neighboring buildings by the fact-finding committee, the committee did not find any evidence or suspicious tools on the site that indicates the presence of devices, wires, or spying tools used for spying purposes,” the report states.
The attack is a clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, it continues, stating that this includes the Kurdistan Region, and that any attempts to turn Iraq into a field for settling scores between other countries should be prohibited.
“The Iraqi civilian who was harmed as a result of the external missile attack has the right to take legal measures to request financial and moral compensation from the Iranian side,” the report adds, referring to Karim.
Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry, stated that during his recent visit to Iran, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein requested that the country provide proof and evidence justifying the missile attack in Erbil, to which the Iranian side provided an insufficient response.
“The Iranian side presented a number of justifications, while no clear positions and evidence were presented to justify the recent strike that affected the diagnosed site in Erbil province,” Sahaf told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Monday, adding that they wanted “clear evidence to rely on, for the Iraqi government to deal with it seriously.”
Hussein traveled to Tehran on April 14, accompanied by Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasem al-Araji, in order to discuss bilateral relations, regional issues, and Baghdad’s role in facilitating dialogue between Tehran and Riyadh.
Sahaf added that Iran’s “deep” and historic relations with Iraq does not allow the country to initiate violent operations that violate the sovereignty of Iraq, noting that the sovereignty of all sides must be respected in order to protect the security of the region.
“If we want to establish the security of the region in an integrated and participatory manner, we must coordinate and respect the sovereignty of the national state for each of the parties at the level of the region, and provide evidence and clear impulses that each party can rely on,” the official said.
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