Rockets strike operation site of Chinese oil company in Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Saturday, Two missiles struck the operation site of a Chinese oil company in the eastern suburb of Baghdad, according to the Iraqi military communications center.

This marks the second attack targeting foreign oil companies operating in Iraq since early April. A similar incident occurred on April 6 when rockets landed on the facility run by a group of international oil companies in Basra, with no casualties reported.

A statement from the Iraqi Security Media Cell said that two Katyusha rockets landed near a Chinese company in the al-Nahrawan area in the east of Baghdad, without "causing significant losses."

Nahrawan is a sub-district located in Baghdad's al-Madaen district, where the company Zhenhua Oil has been working in the eastern fields of Baghdad for nearly two years and extracting up to 10,000 barrels of oil per day. Iraq aims to increase this output to 40,000 barrels per day within the company's five-year contract limit.

This is not the first time such attacks have targeted the site of operations of a Chinese company in Iraq. Last year, the national oil security units repelled an attack by masked gunmen on Well Protection Point No. 26. The authorities later announced the arrest of the perpetrators but did not reveal their identities.

The mayor of al-Madaen, Fadhil Bara' said in a statement two years ago that Zhenhua Oil was being subjected to "blackmail and intimidation" by armed groups to force the company to hire their personnel.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack that took place today or the Basra attacks. However, Iranian-backed militias frequently bombard Iraqi bases hosting foreign troops, as well as the US embassy grounds in Baghdad.

Editing by Kosar Nawzad