Rockets fired at Erbil International Airport

Six Rockets were fired towards Erbil International Airport at 8:30 pm local time on Wednesday, 30 September. The Kurdistan Region Interior Ministry released a statement after the attack, confirming that six rockets were launched between Sheikh Amir and Tarjala villages in Bartella, Nineveh province. While the Ministry announced that the attack caused no casualties, it stated that the area of the rocket launch site was controlled by Hash al-Shaabi’s 30th Brigade.

Kurdistan Region President, Nechirvan Barzani, on Thursday issued a statement in which he said, “While we view this attack as an aggression on the people of the Kurdistan Region and its coalition partners in the fight against terror, we believe that all security forces of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, Peshmerga forces, the Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi [PMF] should merge their efforts to prevent any destabilizing act from all troublemaking groups and saboteurs."

KRG Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, on Wednesday night said he had demanded that his Iraqi counterpart hold accountable the perpetrators of the Wednesday rocket attacks near Erbil international Airport.

“I have spoken to PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi on the importance of holding the perpetrators accountable,” Barzani tweeted.

“The KRG will not tolerate any attempt to undermine Kurdistan’s stability and our response will be robust,” he added.

Hoshyar Zebari, the former Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and a Senior Member of the KDP Political Bureau, immediately after the rocket launch sent out  a tweet and said, “Tonight three rocket attacks on nearby locations of Iranian Opposition close to Erbil International Airport is yet another escalation to disrupt security in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan by the same groups who are attacking the US Embassy in Baghdad and its convoys. Action is needed to stop it.”

The threat to the US Embassy in Baghdad and the Coalition forces and personnel led the US to tell the Iraqi government and its diplomatic partners that it's planning a full withdrawal from its Embassy in Baghdad unless Iraq reins in attacks on personnel linked to the American presence there.

Both the Interior Ministry of the Kurdistan Region and Hashd al-Shaabi said that they would undertake a full investigation about the attacks.