Trump condemns attack on President Nechirvan Barzani’s residence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday received a call from US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, who relayed Donald Trump’s “strong condemnation” of the attack on the Kurdish leader’s residence in Duhok while reaffirming Washington’s support for maintaining security in the Region and Iraq.

The residence of President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok province was targeted by a drone attack on Saturday, without resulting in any casualties. No party has claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of writing.

In the call, Barrack “conveyed President Donald Trump’s strong condemnation of the attacks on the Kurdistan Region and the drone strike on my residence in Duhok,” according to the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

Last week, an Iranian ballistic missile attack killed six Peshmerga fighters and injured dozens more in Erbil province.

The statement added that Trump also “extended condolences to the families of the martyrs, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured,” with Barrack reaffirming Trump and the US’s “full support for maintaining security and stability in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”

“I appreciate President Trump’s solidarity, his condolences to the families of the martyrs, and continued U.S. support for the security and stability of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” Barzani said.

Iraqi, Kurdish, and regional leaders, as well as others around the world, have widely condemned the attack on President Barzani’s residence. Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied involvement and also condemned the attack.

The Kurdistan Region has for weeks been caught in the crosshairs of the Iran-Israel-US conflict, with Iraqi pro-Iran armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led “Axis of Resistance” carrying out more than 500 strikes on alleged American targets in the Region since the onset of the conflict on Feb. 28, according to Rudaw tracking.

The assaults have continued despite repeated assurances from Kurdish leaders that the Region is not a party to the conflict and will not allow its territory to be used as a launchpad for attacks against neighboring countries, including Iran.