Several rockets hit the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq on Monday, killing one foreign civilian contractor, and wounding eight.
"Initial reports that Indirect Fire landed on Coalition Forces in Erbil tonight. There was 1 civilian contractor killed, 5 civilian contractors injured, and 1 US service member injured," Colonel Wayne Marotto, Coalition spokesman, tweeted on Monday.
"Initial reports that Indirect Fire landed on Coalition Forces in Erbil tonight. There was 1 civilian contractor killed, 5 civilian contractors injured, and 1 US service member injured," Colonel Wayne Marotto, Coalition spokesman, tweeted on Monday.
Kurdistan Region Government KRG ministry of health said in a statement Monday night that two civilians were injured in the cattle bazaar.
The rockets fired at 10 pm, hit down town, Erbil International airport and Coalition forces to Defeat Daesh north of Erbil.
Three rockets landed in Erbil, no casualties reported and only material damage to houses and civilian vehicles reported.
A group calling itself Saraya Awliyaa al-Dam or (Blood Guardians) claimed responsibility for the attack, that targeted "American occupation" in Iraq. It has not provided any evidence to prove its claim.
Baghdad used to be the main target of attacks, but missiles were fired at the Erbil airport days after General Qasem Soleimani's killing in January 2020. Pro-Iran parties insist that US troops to withdraw completely from Iraq.
“I condemn in the strongest terms tonight’s rocket attacks on Erbil. I urge all Kurdistanis to remain calm,” KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani tweeted. The security services were instructed to start a full investigation and spoke with Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi on ways to cooperate and identify the outlaws behind this terror attack, Barzani added.
“I condemn in the strongest terms tonight’s rocket attacks on Erbil. I urge all Kurdistanis to remain calm,” KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani tweeted.
Al-Kadhimi ordered to form a joint Baghdad-Erbil committee of related authorities to identify the group behind the rocket attack.
Earlier a statement from the KRG Interior Ministry said several rockets had been launched toward the city at 9.30 pm, and hit several sites. Follow up and investigations have been launched and people t ostay at home, it added.
Kurdistan counter terrorism units said in cooperation with the coalition forces they identified the truck fired the rockets. Several photos were published and no further details declared.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Monday evening that the US is "outraged" by the attack. "We express our condolences to the loved ones of the civilian contractor killed in this attack, and to the innocent Iraqi people and their families who are suffering these ruthless acts of violence," he added.
Blinken spoke with PM Barzani to discuss the attack and pledged support "for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible."
US troops were bombed in Erbil in September last year, when three rockets struck the US base in the area, while three more landed nearby. No casualties or damages were reported.
Suspicion immediately fell on Iranian-backed militias, since the rockets were fired from an area under the control of a predominantly Shia paramilitary force, Poular Mobilization Forces PMF (al-Hashad al-Shabbi), according to the to the Interior Ministry of the KRG.
Tension in Baghdad-Erbil ties has not been resolved due to disagreements over KRG share in 2021 budget, administration of oil sector in Kurdistan, and border entrances. The KRG delegation now in Baghdad has been commuting since January to agree over KRG share in 2021 budget in return to contribution to national oil production, the mina source of Iraq’s economy.
