Strike on Iraq gas complex kills four Yemenis

Strike on Iraq gas complex kills four Yemenis
By Shwan Mohammed
Sulaimaniyah, Iraq (AFP) April 26, 2024

Four Yemeni workers were killed in a drone attack on an Emirati-owned gas complex in Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdistan region on Friday, local authorities said.

The Khor Mor complex owned by the United Arab Emirates firm Dana Gas has been hit several times in recent years, but Friday's drone strike was the first deadly attack.

"Four Yemeni workers were killed and the field was severely damaged," Kurdistan regional government spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani said.

He said the attack will cause "power shortages".

"These repeated attacks must stop," Hawramani added.

He called on the federal government in Baghdad to "find the perpetrators of this terrorist act".

Iraqi security forces said they formed an investigative committee to probe the attack, vowing that the "aggressors" will be punished.

A drone hit the site at approximately 6:45 pm local time (1545 GMT), said Ramak Ramadan, district chief of Chamchamal where the Khor Mor complex is located.

He said it targeted a fuel storage tank.

The attack disrupted gas supply to the region's power plants, resulting in the loss of 2500 megawatts (MW) of electricity, the local electricity authorities said.

Efforts are underway to repair the damage and restore the gas supply, it added in a statement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

- 'Threat to stability'-

Kurdish authorities denounced the attack and called on the federal government in Baghdad to find ways to prevent further ones.

"These attacks threaten the peace and stability of the country," regional president Nechirvan Barzani said, urging the federal authorities in Baghdad to "do their duty to stop these attacks, find the perpetrators whatever their affiliation, and punish them."

The gas field that came under attack lies between the cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah, in a region administered by Kurdish authorities.

Unclaimed Katyusha rocket attacks have targeted the same complex several times in recent years without causing significant damage.

Kurdish officials have previously blamed the attacks on pro-Iran groups.

In January, two Katyushas targeted the gas field, causing a blaze but no casualties. This occurred during a time when pro-Iran Iraqi groups were attacking military bases hosting American forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Kurdistan deputy prime minister Qubad Talabani condemned the latest attack on the Khor Mor complex.

He called on the Iraqi government and local Kurdish authorities to "swiftly launch an investigation and take serious measures to prevent the recurrence of such attacks".