ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region has come under sustained aerial attacks since the start of the regional conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran on February 28, with more than 450 drones and missiles launched toward its territory, according to Rudaw monitoring.
The attacks, carried out by Iran and its aligned Iraqi militia groups, have killed at least 14 people and wounded 85 others, marking one of the most intense periods of conflict in the Region in recent years.
The dead include six fighters from Peshmerga Command Area One, another six Peshmerga affiliated with Iranian Kurdish parties, one security forces (Asayish) officer, and a French soldier who died on March 12.
Erbil province has borne the brunt of the strikes, accounting for 354 of the total attacks recorded. Sulaimani has been targeted by 90 drones and missiles, while Duhok and Halabja provinces have seen more limited attacks, with seven and two drones respectively.
In the past 24 hours alone, security sources reported that “more than four missiles and five drones were directed toward Erbil and were destroyed in the sky before reaching their targets.”
Earlier Wednesday, a drone struck a residential project in the city, sparking a fire and damaging several vehicles, according to footage circulated online.
Tuesday also saw four drones aimed at Erbil, all of which were intercepted, with debris falling across multiple neighborhoods. A series of similar incidents unfolded Monday night, with drones intercepted over Erbil, Soran administration, and surrounding areas, and others falling in residential zones, camps, and rural districts.
Among the wounded are dozens of Peshmerga and security personnel, as well as at least 13 civilians, including a child in Sulaimani, a nurse in Erbil's Koya district, and several residents of camps and neighborhoods in Erbil province.
The strikes have hit a wide range of locations, from military bases and camps housing displaced families of the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties to urban neighborhoods, infrastructure sites, and areas near Erbil International Airport.
Since the start of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has maintained neutrality, describing itself as a “factor of peace” and urging dialogue.
On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani reiterated that the Region has stayed out of the ongoing war.
"Since the outbreak of the current war, we have not been a part of it, and we will not become a part of it," he said, stressing that the Region is "not a source of threat to any neighboring country, and specifically not to the Islamic Republic of Iran."
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