PM Barzani condemns ongoing attacks on Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday condemned the ongoing drone and missile attacks on Erbil. The Kurdish capital city has been hit with over 500 attacks since the Iran war began. 

“I strongly condemn the heinous attacks by terrorist militias targeting the U.S. Consulate General and civilian areas in Erbil. These deliberate acts of aggression pose a grave threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider region. This is unacceptable,” Prime Minister Barzani said on X.

According to the latest figures recorded daily by Rudaw, since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, the Kurdistan Region has been targeted by 650 drones and missiles. This includes 516 attacks on Erbil. 

The attacks have mostly targeted the US consulate general, bases of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and civilian sites. 

Barzani renewed his call on Baghdad to “take immediate, decisive, and tangible actions against these outlaw armed groups and militias.” 

He added: “It is incumbent upon the federal government to use all means to thwart these terrorist attacks and bring those responsible to justice.”

Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw told Rudaw earlier on Sunday that the attacks on the Kurdistan Region “have no justification.” 

He added: “All the targets being struck—attacks on innocent civilians, homes, and civilian populations, as well as our military facilities—are not part of the conflict. In other words, our airspace, land, and people—both civilians and military units—are being targeted without reason, and there is no justification for these attacks.”

Xoshnaw also said that the missiles and drones “directly launched by Iran” toward the Kurdistan Region, as well as those carried out by “terrorist groups and militias,” have resulted in civilian casualties, with ordinary citizens being the primary victims of the attacks.