ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces on Friday announced an operation in western Nineveh and Salahaddin provinces to track down those responsible for a spate of drone attacks on oil, military, and civilian sites in the Kurdistan Region. “The recent attacks on oil installations and fields, along with attempts to target military bases and camps, are considered sinful and dangerous acts that undermine all efforts toward Iraq’s stability, reconstruction, and development campaigns,” the military’s Security Media Cell said in a post on X. “Security forces have launched a wide-scale search operation” in response to these attacks, it added. The operation spans the Hatra desert, targeting warehouses, valleys, and caves. “This operation comes in response to critical intelligence aimed at thwarting intentions and attempts to target security units and vital infrastructure in the country,” it said. In the month of July, there have been at least 18 drone attacks in the Kurdistan Region, including on oil fields, Peshmerga bases, a camp for internally displaced persons, and critical infrastructure like airports. The Iraqi operation is being carried out with the coordination of several forces, including the Joint Operations Command, counter-terrorism, and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has blamed the attacks on the PMF, a charge Baghdad has denied.
