A drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq caused a fire at the facility and cut power across the area, Iraqi and Kurdish officials said. The attack took place on Sunday night and left more than 70 percent of the Kurdish region without electricity.
It was not clear who carried out the attack or whether it was linked to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Fact-checkers have verified footage showing smoke and flames rising near the gasfield in Sulaimaniyah governorate.
Gas supply and power losses across Kurdish cities
Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Electricity, said the attack halted gas supplies to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok. He said the strike removed between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of generation from the grid.
The ministry said it would keep electricity flowing to critical sites, such as hospitals and water treatment plants, by running hydroelectric stations and other plants that use alternative fuel. Security sources cited by a reporter in Baghdad said the explosive-laden drone hit the gas storage facility and cut the grid’s capacity by 70 to 80 percent.
Casualty reports and investigation ordered
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said, based on an initial assessment, that there were no casualties from the attack. He also directed the formation of a joint investigative committee with relevant authorities in the Kurdish region to examine the circumstances of the attack.
The attack comes amid heightened regional tensions. A drone strike hit the same facility last year, and no group claimed responsibility for that strike.
