ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday reaffirmed that Erbil is not part of the regional tensions and “has no desire to be,” stressing neutrality while condemning the recent strikes targeting the Region.
During an inauguration speech of a potable water project in northern Erbil, Barzani said: “Tensions in the Middle East persist, and unfortunately, the fallout often reaches us as if we were an active party to these regional hostilities.”
The premier’s remarks come as Iran has renewed drone and missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region, with 45 drones and missiles having been confirmed since the beginning of July, according to Rudaw tracking. The attacks mostly target US bases and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Region.
The attacks have significantly increased over the past few days, with Iran firing projectiles over Erbil and Sulaimani provinces.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have separately condemned the attacks, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a violation of the Region's sovereignty, while calling on Iran to halt the strikes and urging Baghdad and the international community to help stop the violations.
“We call for an immediate end to the ongoing, unjustified attacks on the Kurdistan Region, as war and violence serve no one's interest,” Barzani said, condemning the continuation of the attack against “both our region and the wider area.”
“We firmly condemn the continuation of these strikes against both our region and the wider area,” he added.
Iran and the US have stumbled into renewed rounds of hostilities since late June, days after reaching a preliminary framework to reduce tensions and pave the way for resolving key disputes in their stalled negotiations.
As Washington continues to strike the military and logistical facilities in southern Iran, Tehran retaliates by firing missiles and drones on US bases across the region., including the Kurdistan Region.
Based in the Region, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have suffered heavy casualties. On Friday, six Iranian missiles hit a base associated with the Komala Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan, resulting in the killing of nine fighters.
On Sunday, the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) was hit with two drones. Eight of their members were injured, with four of them being in a critical condition.
Based on Rudaw’s tracking, Iran and its aligned groups in Iraq have struck the Kurdistan Region with 918 drones since February 28, when the US and Israel began a large-scale military campaign against Iran, sparking a regional conflict that lasted for nearly six weeks. The attacks on the Region have so far killed 30 people and injured 148 others.
Those killed included seven members of the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces, one security service member at Erbil airport, a husband and wife killed while asleep in their home, 18 fighters from Kurdish opposition groups, and a French soldier in Erbil.
