ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province was targeted in an attack on Sunday. The strike did not cause any casualties, according to the natural resources ministry. Rudaw has learned that the attack was carried out by a drone.
“At 7:05 pm today, a drone attack was carried out on the Khor Mor gas field, without causing any damage to the field or the gas company. Gas production at the Khor Mor field is normal, and gas pressure to power generation stations remains normal so far. An assessment of the material damages from the attack is being conducted,” Kurdistan Region’s natural resources ministry said in a statement.
Khor Mor gas field is located in Sulaimani province’s Chamchamal district and is operated by the UAE-based Dana Gas.
Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Special Counter-Terrorism (CTG) blamed "militia groups and outlaws" for the drone attack on Khor Mor gas field.
Shakir Shakir, head of Dana Gas' Iraq branch, tells Rudaw that the production of gas at Khor Mor field was "unaffected."
An eyewitness told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that “a black smoke rose from the targeted site.”
A member of the field's security team stated that they were working to protect the staff by evacuating them from the danger zone.
Chamchamal mayor Ramk Ramazan that the drone had “hit outside the camp.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani directed the formation of a technical committee to investigate the attack, said the federal Security Media Cell in a statement, adding that the strike "resulted in a minor fire near the fuel tank affecting it."
Sudani is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
"We emphasize that any attempt to sabotage the country's economy and harm the people's livelihood and interests is an attempt targeting all Iraqis, and this matter will not be allowed by our security forces, which will work to follow up on all details of this incident. They are capable of restraining all cheap attempts and punishing anyone who attempts to tamper with the country's economic security," added the cell.
The field was frequently attacked by Katyusha rockets and suicide drones in recent years and the Kurdish authorities blamed Iran-backed militia groups.
A drone on the field in April last year killed four Yemeni nationals.
Khor Mor field produces 452 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, according to Dana Gas. The gas is a key fuel source for electricity generation plants in the Kurdistan Region.
Peshawa Bakhtiyar contributed to this article.
Updated at 11:10 pm with Security Media Cell statement
