ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two explosive-laden drones were intercepted over Sulaimani province on Tuesday, officials confirmed to Rudaw, with one crashing in the province’s northwest. Ahmed Latif, spokesperson for Unit 70 of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Forces, told Rudaw that both drones were brought down within Sulaimani’s borders. He specified that “one was intercepted in the Tasluja area,” northwest of Sulaimani city, while the second was downed “outside the perimeter of Unit 70’s forces.” Latif confirmed that neither incident resulted in casualties or material damage. Salam Abdulkhaliq, head of the Sulaimani-based Asayish (security forces) media team, corroborated the report, stating that “two drones fell in the Tasluja area within Sulaimani’s borders” on Tuesday evening. He added that the Kurdish security forces’ investigation teams were dispatched to the scene and have launched a probe. Abdulkhaliq also confirmed no casualties were reported. Earlier on Tuesday, a separate drone incident occurred in the Darkar camp, approximately 36 kilometers northwest of Duhok city. The drone, laden with explosives, caused material damage but no injuries, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD). The Darkar camp shelters Yazidis displaced from the Shingal (Sinjar) district following the Islamic State (ISIS) assault in 2014. “It is the first time our camp and subdistrict have experienced such an incident,” Jawhar Mohammed, head of the Darkar subdistrict, told Rudaw on Tuesday, adding that the source of the drone remains unknown. Civil defense teams from Duhok province’s Zakho city reported that three cabins at the camp caught fire as a result of the drone crash. In a separate security incident the same day, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha reported that three Katyusha rockets struck the city overnight. One rocket hit a residential home, while two others landed between the civilian and military zones of Kirkuk International Airport. According to airport administration officials, the rockets struck at around 11:30 pm local time, injuring one airport employee.
