Hegseth: Protecting Iraqi Kurdistan a US priority amid Iran-backed attacks
Shafaq News- Washington
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that protecting the Kurdistan Region and countering Iran-backed factions are central to the current American strategy, adding that Washington is closely monitoring attacks targeting the Region and its leadership.
Responding to a reporter question citing figures that show the Kurdistan Region has sustained about 700 drone and rocket attacks since February 28 —including strikes on the residences of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok province— Hegseth called the campaign by Iranian proxy factions "proof of the nature of the regime in Tehran," accusing it of pursuing regional destabilization through its armed proxies.
The US maintains a reduced military presence in the Kurdistan Region at Harir Air Base near Erbil, where fewer than 2,000 troops and coalition personnel conduct advisory operations and counterterrorism efforts against ISIS. An agreement allows this presence to continue through at least late 2026, even as the US has withdrawn from federal Iraqi bases in Baghdad and Ain al-Asad.
Hegseth added that curtailing armed faction influence and protecting allies —with the Kurdistan Region foremost among them— are explicit priorities of current US military and diplomatic engagement in the region.
