Drone strikes hit three oil fields in Kurdistan Region
Shafaq News – Duhok/Zakho (Updated at 01:53 p.m.)
Explosive-laden drones struck three oil installations in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region early Wednesday, escalating a series of coordinated attacks targeting the Region’s vital energy infrastructure.
According to the Region's Counter-Terrorism Directorate, two drones targeted Norway’s DNO-operated oil field in Peshkabir at 6:00 and 6:15 a.m. local time, within the Zakho Independent Administration. A third drone hit the company’s Tawke field at 7:00 a.m., causing no casualties.
The incident led DNO to temporarily suspend oil production at both fields, stating that operations will resume once a full assessment of the damage is completed.
Another drone also struck the American Hand Oil farm in the Baadre area of Sheikhan district, Duhok province, without resulting in human or material losses.
The Directorate did not specify the origin of the attacks.
The Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources later condemned the strikes as “cowardly acts of terrorism,” noting that they caused significant damage to key oil infrastructure. The ministry called on Baghdad and international partners to take swift and decisive measures to prevent further assaults.
Meanwhile, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a leading political party in the Region, denounced the strikes as “a blatant violation” of internal security and national sovereignty, urging both the Iraqi government and Parliament to adopt a “clear and firm” stance toward the repeated aggressions. “Any security breakdown or new political conflict,” it warned, “could undermine efforts to resolve crises and foster trust and coexistence among the Iraqi people.”
Similar attacks on the Khurmala and Sarsang oil fields in Erbil and Duhok have recently raised alarm in the Region. In response, the Iraqi Parliament and government launched an immediate investigation, while the Iraqi Presidency described the attacks as “terrorist acts.”
With the perpetrators still unknown, the Coordination Framework (CF), Iraq’s ruling Shiite alliance, denied any involvement by affiliated armed factions, warning against attempts to destabilize the country or weaken federal authority.
