Shadowy Iraq-based militia claims strikes on alleged US targets in Erbil

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A shadowy militia believed to be linked to powerful Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a fresh wave of intense drone and missile attacks on Erbil, as the Kurdistan Region’s capital city continues to endure days of sustained bombardment that have caused civilian casualties and material damage.

The group, calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam - Arabic for “Guardians of Blood Brigades” - said in a statement that it had targeted what it described as “a base of the American occupation at Erbil [International] Airport,” using what it called a “squadron of drones.”

The militia alleged that the move was in retaliation for the blood of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during a joint US-Israeli air campaign in Tehran on Saturday, and said the attack was meant to “deter the aggression” that killed “a group of Iraqi resistance fighters,” without providing further details.

Of note, Saraya Awliya al-Dam emerged in August 2020 as an asymmetric warfare tool utilized in regional conflicts to pressure foreign forces while shielding its primary sponsors. In February 2021, it claimed a high-profile attack on Erbil International Airport and since 2024, the group has claimed long-range drone strikes against targets in Israel, including the port cities of Haifa in the north and Eilat in the south.

The militia's Wednesday statement came after multiple explosions were heard across Erbil on Wednesday evening, as air defense systems intercepted drones and missiles in the skies above the Kurdish capital. Footage obtained by Rudaw showed several objects being struck midair.

Residents living near Erbil International Airport also shared videos capturing the moment one of the drones was intercepted.

In a separate incident, debris from another intercepted drone fell on a house in Erbil’s northwestern Sarbasti 32 Park neighborhood, causing property damage and injuring one resident. The injured individual was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Another round of interceptions led to debris damaging a building in Ankawa, a predominantly Christian district in northwestern Erbil as well.

The attacks are part of what Kurdish officials have censured as an ongoing campaign by Iran‑backed Iraqi armed groups targeting the Kurdistan Region, particularly Erbil. Despite repeated interceptions by defense systems at Erbil International Airport and near the US Consulate, the strikes have continued.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, was killed.

“Around 100 drones and missiles have been used in the attacks,” Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw told Rudaw on Tuesday. He added that an “advanced” defense system has been deployed, intercepting all incoming projectiles before they could reach their intended ground targets.

Kurdish security forces (Asayish) in Erbil on the same day issued an advisory urging residents to “refrain from gathering at the scene when drones or missiles fall.

“Do not handle or tamper with any debris or foreign objects, so they do not pose a threat to your lives,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Iraq urged its citizens to leave the country immediately and remain in shelters until evacuation is possible.

For his part, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said early Wednesday that since the start of the military campaign on Saturday, US forces have struck nearly 2,000 targets in under 100 hours during the operation, dubbed Epic Fury, against Iran.

“Our military in the Middle East is conducting an unprecedented operation to eliminate Iran's ability to threaten Americans, as it has for nearly half a century,” Cooper said, adding that more than “50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and bombers” from the US are participating in the operation.

For its part, Tehran has launched a massive, multi-front offensive involving over 1,200 drones and nearly 500 ballistic and cruise missiles striking targets in all six Gulf Cooperation Council states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

As of Wednesday, the strikes have resulted in at least seven civilian deaths and dozens of injuries across the region.