Latest: The Sunday night strike caused a fire at the field and left more than 70 percent of the Kurdistan region without power, Al Jazeera reported. Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the regional electricity ministry, said gas supply was suspended to power plants in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Bazian, Chamchamal and Duhok, and that the strike knocked between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of generation off the grid; the ministry said it would supply critical facilities such as hospitals and water treatment plants by running hydroelectric stations and other plants on alternative fuel. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said there were no casualties, based on an initial assessment, and directed that a joint investigative committee be formed with the Kurdish authorities. No group has claimed responsibility.
An explosive-laden drone hit the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Sunday, according to the regional natural resources and electricity authorities, who said the field came under attack at 11:00 pm local time. A Kurdish security source told AFP the field was struck by an explosive-laden drone.
Omed Ahmed, a spokesperson for the regional electricity authority, said the attack halted the gas supply from Khor Mor, which supplies most of Kurdistan’s power stations. The authorities said they were taking measures to reduce the impact on the region’s power grid. The report gave no casualty or damage details, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The complex is owned by the United Arab Emirates firm Dana Gas and has been hit several times in recent years. Kurdish authorities have previously blamed Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups for rocket and drone strikes on the region’s oil and gas fields.