Kurdistan
A number of mortars landed in a rural area of Erbil province on August 24, 2021. Photo: submitted video footage
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Several mortars landed near villages in Erbil’s Qoshtapa subdistrict on Tuesday afternoon, a local official has told Rudaw.
It is not clear who fired the mortars, which caused no casualties or damage.
Star Agha Omer, mayor of Qoshtapa, told Rudaw that the mortars fell near the villages of Dolabakra, Dolaza, Tarawa, Aliawa, Girashina and Bashtapa at 4pm. Not all exploded.
“We were informed by Asayish [local security forces] that some mortars had landed near Qoshtapa. Asayish teams are investigating it now,” said the official, who added that Katyusha rockets may also have fallen in the area.
Qoshtapa lies around 20 kilometers south of Erbil city.
Some of the villages are located on main road connecting Erbil and Kirkuk and are close to factories.
The mayor said this is the third time they have been exposed to such attacks.
“There was a huge sound that shook our factory. We left and saw a lot of dust. We thought that it was a boiler explosion at the nearby gas factory,” an eyewitness told Rudaw.
A source from Dibis police, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Rudaw that they have confiscated a vehicle near Amsha village in Dibis district. The vehicle was found with two rockets on it.
"Three rockets had already been fired. After hearing the sound of the explosion, security forces arrived in the incident area," the source said.
Reporting by Sidad Lashkiri and Farhad Dolamari"Three rockets had already been fired. After hearing the sound of the explosion, security forces arrived in the incident area," the source said.
Updated 5:59pm
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