A drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region has started a fire and disrupted electricity supplies across northern Iraq, officials said. More than 70% of the Kurdish region was left without power after the strike on Sunday night.
The identity of those responsible remains unclear, as does whether the attack was connected to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Omid Ahmed, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Electricity, said the strike suspended gas supplies to power plants serving Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok.
Between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of generation capacity were knocked off the grid, he said. Security sources said an explosive-laden drone had struck the gas storage facility, reducing the energy grid’s capacity by between 70% and 80%.
Footage showing smoke and flames rising near the facility in Sulaimaniyah governorate was verified by a fact-checking agency.
Mr Ahmed said electricity would be supplied to critical facilities, including hospitals and water treatment plants, through hydroelectric stations and other plants running on alternative fuel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said an initial assessment indicated that there had been no casualties. He ordered a joint investigative committee involving the relevant authorities in Baghdad and the Kurdish region to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The Khor Mor facility was also targeted by a drone strike last year, although no group claimed responsibility for that attack.
