The US Congress’ House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday passed an amendment proposed by Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska to support the Kurdistan Region by transferring air defense systems to protect the Region’s skies against drone and missile strikes by neighboring countries.
Bacon revealed in a tweet that the amendment was to “help the Kurds in Iraq have better air defenses against Iran’s continued missile and drone strikes.”
The Kurdistan Region has been a target of a series of missile and drone strikes in recent years, with the perpetrators – Iran and Turkey – claiming to target camps of Kurdish rebels inside the Region. Tehran has also accused Erbil of harboring Israeli bases.
The amendment awaits approval by the US Senate to become a part of the National Defense Authorization (NDAA), which is part of a law that sets the Pentagon’s annual budget.
“I’m still optimistic that it has a good chance to make it through all the way through the appropriations processes. It is difficult for the president to veto that given it is a part of the NDAA,” former Republican congressman Trent Franks told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda.
In late November, Iran targeted the bases of Kurdish dissident groups in the Kurdistan Region with a barrage of ballistic missiles and suicide drones.
Two months prior, the IRGC launched around 73 ballistic missiles and dozens of suicide drones towards the bases of the opposition parties. At least 16 people were killed and 58 injured in the Iranian bombardment.
In March last year, Iran attacked Erbil with twelve ballistic missiles, striking the residence of a well-known Kurdish businessman. The IRGC claimed responsibility for targeting “the strategic center of the Zionist conspiracy and evil by point-to-point missile.”
Kurdish authorities vehemently rejected this accusation. A fact-finding committee set up by the Iraqi parliament to investigate the claims found no evidence of spying activities in the area attacked.
In November, Iranian drones targeted the bases of the military bases of Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in Kurdistan Region’s Prde town. Telegram channels close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the attacks.
