Three Peshmerga fighters wounded in Erbil, Sulaimani drone attacks: Ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga ministry said Wednesday that three Peshmerga fighters were wounded in drone attacks in Erbil and Sulaimani provinces, calling on the Iraqi prime minister to “assume his legal duty” and limit “internal assaults.”

“Two headquarters of units affiliated with the Peshmerga ministry in both Erbil and Sulaimani provinces were targeted by drone attacks,” the ministry said in a statement. “Unfortunately, as a result of these attacks, three heroic Peshmerga were wounded.”

The Kurdistan Region has faced a wave of drone and missile attacks since the conflict that 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.

“We strongly condemn these terrorist acts,” the ministry said, calling on Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, “to assume his legal duty and set limits for these internal assaults.”

“Swift and urgent steps must be taken to prevent these outlawed groups from repeating these acts that threaten the security of the region,” the ministry said.

In early March, a Peshmerga base near the Degala subdistrict in Erbil was targeted in a drone attack.

Data collected by Rudaw indicates a sharp escalation in aerial attacks over the past 24 hours, with more than 10 drones launched toward Erbil province and over five toward Sulaimani province.

In Erbil, two drones were reported to have been directed toward Koya district on Tuesday evening, while others targeted the city. All were intercepted and destroyed by defense systems.

According to Rudaw’s tracking, most attacks targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition groups were carried out by Iran, while Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq have claimed responsibility for many of the strikes on the Region, saying they targeted US diplomatic missions and military bases. Most of the attacks were intercepted by air defense systems.

Rudaw’s data shows that since the start of the conflict, the Region has come under 352 drone and missile attacks.

Of these, 290 targeted Erbil and surrounding areas, 55 were aimed at Sulaimani, five struck or fell within Duhok province, and two were directed toward border areas in Halabja province.

At least eight people have been killed and 45 others wounded in the attacks.

Those killed include a security member (Asayish) at Erbil International Airport and six Peshmerga fighters from Iranian Kurdish parties.

Among the wounded are security personnel, Peshmerga fighters, foreign troops, and civilians. Thirteen civilians are among the injured, including a delivery rider in Erbil, a nurse in Koya’s Azadi camp, and a child in Sulaimani.