UAE condemns Iranian ballistic missile attack on Peshmerga in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday condemned Iranian missile strikes that killed six Peshmerga fighters and injured dozens in the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil province.

“The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced Iran’s unprovoked terrorist missile attacks targeting two military sites in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” the UAE’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it reiterates the UAE’s “full solidarity” with Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its “support for all measures aimed at safeguarding security, ensuring the safety of its citizens, and preserving stability.”

Early Tuesday, Iranian ballistic missiles struck a Peshmerga base in Erbil’s Soran administration, killing six fighters and injuring 30 others. The attack has been widely condemned by Kurdish leaders in the Kurdistan Region, Syria, Turkey, and Kurdish Iranian opposition groups, as well as Baghdad and the United States.

The ministry also expressed condolences to the families of the victims “over this heinous attack,” adding that “these attacks represent a dangerous escalation and a violation of the principles of international law.”

The Kurdistan Region has faced a wave of drone and missile attacks since the conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran. Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said Wednesday, during a visit to attend the funeral of the Peshmerga victims, that the attack was acknowledged by Tehran as a “mistake,” adding that Iran has promised an investigation and sent condolences to the Region.

Rudaw understands that Iraqi outlawed armed groups have carried out more than 10 attacks on KRG Peshmerga forces over the past three weeks, but this is the first attack on the Region’s forces directly attributed to Iran.

According to Rudaw’s monitoring, the Region has faced more than 450 drones and missiles launched toward its territory by Iran and aligned Iraqi armed groups since the onset of the war

That attacks come despite the KRG’s strict policy of neutrality, positioning itself as a “factor of peace,” with its leaders repeatedly calling for dialogue and insisting that it will not allow its territory to be used to threaten its neighbors.