A drone attack targeted a major natural gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan on Thursday, causing injuries to workers and major power cuts across the region.
"A drone struck a key gas storage facility at the field, causing extensive damage, and a fire is still burning," a worker told Reuters in the aftermath of the attack.
All gas supplies to power stations in the Kurdistan region were halted following the attack on the Khor Mor gas field, causing widespread power outages, including in Erbil.
Firefighting teams were still working to contain the blaze that injured several workers. A field engineer speaking with Reuters estimated the damage to the main liquid-gas storage depot would take several days to repair.
The Khor Mor field is operated by the Pearl Consortium, which includes UAE-based Dana Gas and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum.
The Iraqi central government's Security Media Cell said the field was hit in a "treacherous terrorist" attack and vowed to pursue those responsible. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A separate drone targeted the field on Sunday but was shot down by Iraqi Kurdish security forces before it struck. The Kurdistan Region's Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, blamed the attack on “outlaw groups” and urged partners from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) to provide the Kurdistan Region with “defense systems against such terrorist attacks.”
Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to the Kurdistan Region's prime minister, claimed that "terrorists on the federal government's payroll" were responsible for the drone strike, in an apparent reference to Shia armed groups known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).
The PMU is part of the Iraqi resistance that fired drones and missiles at Israel in response to the genocide in Gaza that began in October 2023.
On November 4, a massive explosion at the PMU headquarters south of Baghdad killed one person amid reports of Israel preparing a new front with the country to target Iran-backed resistance groups.
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